Promote at your own risk
by Callisto5
Summary: Parker learns that Centre promotions can be very treacherous- (Epilogue added!)
1. Default Chapter

Disclaimer: I own none of the characters or the basic story line. They belong to others so there is no infringement on my part and I'm not making any money off this. Suing me would be absolutely useless.   
Author's note: This is my second try at fan-fiction. Please give me some feedback to let me know how you like it, this one is a bit darker than my first and it might be longer too.   
Email: PennG436@msn.com Spoilers: IOTH Timeline: A few months after the conclusion of IOTH   
Rating: Pg Category: S/R Keywords: MPJR   
  
  
Promote at your own risk  
Chapter I  
By Callisto  
  
  
  
The section of the building she had occupied for the past five years was unusually quiet. Before her father's apparent altruistic suicide by leaping from an airplane cruising at 30,000 feet above the Atlantic Ocean, there was the oddly comforting bustle of Centre employees walking by, chatting and scurrying around trying to meet their deadlines. Now all was eerily quiet, ever since Raines took over as chairman it seemed as though all the lower level employees were attempting to avoid notice by disappearing, something she wished she could do.   
  
She was in a miserable trap. The thought of leaving was extremely tempting but she was very much aware that all her actions were being carefully monitored. Any move, however easily explained away would result in repercussions that she wasn't in the mood to contemplate much less endure. She sighed deeply, unable to turn her attention back to the dense pile of daily reports that were now required to justify her existence-literally.   
  
'Another day in hell, made bleaker by the rise to power of a shuffling, soulless ghoul of a man who made the whole situation more horrifying by his apparent ignorance of a simple product that has been on the open market for decades: WD-40.' She thought glumly hearing that telltale squeak.  
  
Her excellent hearing detected the hollow echo that the oil-deprived oxygen tank carrier wheels made as Raines slowly walked the deserted hallways. Unfortunately the irritating sound stopped abruptly outside her office. The door swung open immediately and revealed the presence of the very person she was learning to loath on a whole new and less rewarding level.   
  
"Miss Parker, there are some things I need to clarify with you before I leave for my summit meeting," Raines said almost softly but breathing heavily.  
  
Gritting her teeth in an effort to keep her usual nasty quips at bay, she merely looked up from her reports mutely with what she hoped would be a slightly helpful and mildly interested expression, but only managed to summon an intransient disinterestedness.   
  
"During my absence, Mr. Craigon will be in charge of the day to day operations. He has all my instructions, which include that you are to be kept on the pursuit of Jarod. He will forward your daily progress reports to me personally. We don't want you to be distracted for any reason," he said with an imperious expression.  
  
"I understand. You don't trust me with the keys to the kingdom?" she smiled humorlessly. "I actually prefer remaining on the Jarod pursuit anyway."  
  
"When I receive some indication of your complete and unwavering loyalty, perhaps. As it stands your talents and attention are better served in the search for Jarod. Unlike my brother, I am not as patient with failure, don't keep me waiting Miss Parker," he said with a note of menace.   
  
"How long will you be gone?" she asked impassively, ignoring the threat.   
  
"A few months, plenty of time for you to find and recapture our wayward Pretender," he rasped, finally taking a disgustingly long, greedy gulp of bottled air. Seeing that he would get no further response from her, Raines took his leave dragging his last gasp nosily behind him.   
  
As the loud squeak slowly faded into the distance, she settled back into her seat and stared at the door. She knew her days were numbered, that she had lasted this long was a bit surprising. There had never been any love lost between the two of them; bureaucracy must be bogging down the approval of his request to have her eliminated.   
  
  
  
A few hours later she swept into the sim-lab area outside Sydney's office where the pursuit team usually met to confer on any of the typically obscure leads Jarod would leave them.  
  
"Well Broots, any joy?" she asked as she entered the room. Her manner was unusually pleasant but her dress was typical, dark blue short skirt topped off by an impossibly white silk blouse.   
  
Broots glanced up almost as shocked by her pleasantness as he was by her usual brusqueness. "No, Miss Parker, Jarod hasn't left us even the smallest clue. It's almost like he wants us to believe that he's dropped off the face of the earth. We're still scanning newspaper and national news reports to see if any thing matches Jarod's usual patterns."  
  
"Good, I need a report on everything that you're doing, ad nauseam if possible. Old Wrinkled-bag-of-emptiness wants daily reports of our progress, the good news is that he won't be around for a few months," she said with a predatory grin and a quick lift of her eyebrows.  
  
Refusing to feel cheered, Broots nodded seriously at his boss. "Yeah, I heard. Scuttlebutt has it that Mr. Craigon is in charge in Mr. Raines' absence. If Raines and Lyle had a child, he would be Mr. Craigon," Broots replied grimly.   
  
Shuddering at the macabre thought she replied, "Cheer up, Scooby-doo. According to Raines, Craigon has been given specific instructions to leave us to our pursuit. If Raines wants Jarod back then he knows that he needs to leave us alone to do it. It's not like any of his efforts has gotten him even half as close to Wonder-boy as we have."   
  
Still feeling apprehensive, Broots just silently nodded. "I'll start on gathering those reports for you right now," he said and hurried away. Broots was slightly worried about Miss Parker. Since she and the others had returned from Africa, her position at the Centre had become more tenuous and her cavalier attitude concerned him.   
  
  
Walking over to Sydney's office, Parker stood in the doorway looking at the psychiatrist. He had overheard her conversation with Broots and silently agreed with his friend's concern for her welfare. Looking up after becoming aware that she hadn't entered his office, he caught her studying him.   
  
"Is there anything I can do for you Miss Parker?" He asked solicitously.   
  
"No, Syd. Just wondering again why you hang around this humble corner of purgatory. With all the horrible things that you know has happened here you stick around like a shell-shocked spectator unable to tear his eyes from the gore of a tragedy."  
  
Chuckling at her colorful analogy, he leaned back in his chair and returned her gaze. "I could ask the same of you. What makes you stay? You have even less reason to stay than you did before you went to Scotland," he said a little more earnestly than he meant.   
  
"I'm being watched 24/7. My every move is monitored and reported. If I even twitch wrong, Raines and Lyle will use that as an excuse to remove me permanently," she answered with a weary sigh. "No, I'm going to have to wait them out. Either they kill me first or I find my opening and leave."  
  
"I have the distinct impression that is only a partial answer. To answer your question, there are still a few tortured and broken souls here that I can be of some assistance to, namely Angelo."  
  
She nodded solemnly, still feeling the nagging guilt of her culpability in Angelo's mental condition. Wandering further into his office as their conversation continued, she paced around and eventually settled into one of the chairs in front of his desk.  
  
"Broots tells me that Mr. Craigon has been given the title of Acting Chairman, that's quite a slight to you. I am curious why he didn't bestow this honor on Mr. Lyle?" he asked with considerable curiosity.   
  
Laughing gently she settled herself more comfortably in the chair and answered evenly, "Lyle is away at a Centre sponsored symposium, my guess as a reward for his voluntary token of loyalty. As far as Craigon is concerned, he can have the Acting Chairmanship. That little brown-nosing weasel has been told to stay out of my way. I'm sure he'll be content aimlessly harassing and threatening his subordinates and making their lives more miserable than usual, instead of tangling with me."  
  
"I have sensed an insecurity in him that would tend to make him feel the need to overcompensate---." The ringing of the phone on his desk interrupted him. Glancing apologetically at his guest who nodded her understanding, Sydney answered the phone.   
  
"This is Sydney." He listened for a few seconds, and then glancing again at his guest he lifted his eyebrows in surprise and caught her attention.  
  
"One moment please," he said into the receiver. Placing his palm over the mouthpiece he said, "Parker it's for you. Your secretary is looking for you."  
  
With a slight frown of curiosity and annoyance, she grabbed the outstretched phone and in her usual manner answered, "What?"  
  
Listening for a few seconds, she sighed deeply and asked, "Since you're contacting me I take it that Mr. Raines has already left the building, where is Mr. Craigon?"  
  
She listened again for some time, lowering her head in concentration. Then lifting her head and throwing it back in a display of her growing agitation she said, "alright, have him hold, I'm on my way to the office now." She paused again, glancing at Sydney, she rolled her eyes and said, "go ahead, put him through."  
  
Covering the mouthpiece with her hand, in a whisper she said, "I'm sorry Syd, this should only take a minute."   
  
"Take all the time you need, do you need me to leave?" he asked kindly.   
  
Shaking her head no, she abruptly spoke into the phone. "This is Parker."  
  
"Yes, sir, I understand." She replied after a lengthy silence. Her expression was a curious mixture of caution and irritation.   
  
"Yes, sir I will see that they are messengered to you within the hour." Another lengthy pause was followed by her response.   
  
"No, Mr. Raines left him in charge. If you prefer, I could leave him a message to handle this request personally." The pause was much shorter this time but still leaving Sydney in the agonies of curiosity.  
  
"I will have it on its way to you within the hour," she repeated more forcibly. Listening for a few more seconds, she pulled the phone from her ear in surprise. With another roll of the eyes she returned the phone to it's cradle and sighed a half chuckle.   
  
"That was a Triumvirate member. Apparently he was promised some reports last week and has yet to receive them. Now Craigon has gone missing on a never ending lunch hour, leaving our poor beleaguered leader in Africa bereft at being forgotten and kicked to the curb like so much trash." She had gotten up during this speech and headed for the doorway. She turned as she crossed the threshold. "If you hear from Broots before I track him down tell him I need to see him, there are some reports I need him to pull for me that take priority over our pursuit dailies." She then walked purposely from the room leaving Sydney wondering what new intrigues were in store.   
  
  
Just after seven o'clock Broots entered Miss Parker's office, eager to give her his last report of the day and head home for the night. Looking up Parker noticed the tired, slightly harried look on his face. She decided to go easy on him tonight and forego her usual sport of intimidating him.   
  
"What's new Broots?"  
  
"The productivity reports for the security and scientific divisions were completed and messengered over to the Triumvirate via Centre-Europe just after 2 this afternoon. I've finished the daily progress reports on our search for Jarod for both today and tomorrow," he said wearily. Seeing the surprised look on Parker's face he continued, "Umm, that's in the event that we find nothing new tomorrow, either. I prepared it and left room for revisions just in case." He finished hastily.   
  
"Good work, Broots. Time for you to head home to Debbie, see you bright and early tomorrow," she said dismissively.  
  
"Aren't you going home now, I thought everything that needed to be done was complete?"  
  
"That just shows how much you know. I still have plenty of work to do," she said waving at the small mounds of paperwork that were scattered on her desk. She looked up again and glared at him pointedly to leave. Taking the hint, Broots nodded gratefully and left her office. His ever-present worry over her welfare was firmly rooted in place but minutely relieved by the absence of both Lyle and Mr. Raines.  
  
When her worrywart coworker finally left her office, Miss Parker pushed back from her desk and walking over to a low credenza, she opened a bottom drawer removing a nearly full bottle of single malt with a small glass and proceeded to pour herself a generous helping of the drink. Replacing the bottle in its hiding place, she took a large sip letting the alcohol work its magic on her over-revved brain and taunt muscles. She was finally just beginning to relax when her phone rang. Knowing her secretary kept better hours than she, Miss Parker reached over and pushed the speaker button to answer.   
  
"What?" she answered sounding irritable.  
  
"Miss Parker? I was hoping that you would still be there. This is Third chair Mountesi calling, I take it that the items I asked for earlier today are on their way?" The Triumvirate member had a moderately exotic accent that would be pleasing if he hadn't been bothering her.  
  
"Yes, sir they were sent out this afternoon," she replied sharply suppressing a disgusted sigh, as she returned to her seat.  
  
"Good, that is very good to hear, Miss Parker."   
  
There was a long pause that Parker at first was loathe to break but since he showed no signs of hanging up she inquired, "was that all, sir?"   
  
"No, Miss Parker," he responded and resumed his silence as it stretched into another lengthy pause which began to irritate her even more. He eventually continued, "I have a proposition for you. I would like you to take over running the day to day operations of the Centre for the time being," he said softly, seductively allowing his even voice and strange accent to caress the words.   
  
"I see," she replied carefully as she slowly sat up straighter in her seat. She was perfectly aware that she was the least favorite in her family of horrors with the Triumvirate. Wondering what this twist could mean, her mind began to turn over the numerous possibilities this offer would have in terms of her immediate health. Choosing her words with the utmost care and removing all emotion from her voice she continued, "Mr. Raines was very specific that I should remain on the Jarod pursuit full time and that distractions would not be tolerated."  
  
"We tell Mr. Raines what we need and he provides it, in this case I want you to be in charge of the Centre, will that be a problem for you?" the voice was still smooth as silk.   
  
"And the Jarod pursuit?" she persisted evenly.   
  
"Will be postponed for the time being. I understand that there have been no new leads in that case for some time. Without leads then the computer clerks can continue without your assistance."  
  
"Very well, am I correct in assuming that I really don't have much of a choice in the matter?" said she, testing the limits in the deep end.   
  
A soft, almost sexy laugh followed. "While it is never good to assume anything, your astuteness is to your credit. I shall be very interested to see how well you get on with the change in responsibilities. Miss Parker, please do not disappoint me." The sudden burr of the dial tone signaled that the call was already disconnected.   
  
Parker leaned forward thoughtfully and pulling open the small curio box that sat on her desk, she lightly tapped a button that ended the recording of the conversation. This new development resembled a pitted field fraught with mines, both hidden and exposed. Knowing that she would need a clear head in the morning, she downed the rest of her drink and straightening the papers on her desk, she shut everything down and headed home.  
  
  
Late the next morning, Broots rushed into Sydney's office looking positively happy and more relaxed than he had since Miss Parker's return from her disastrous trip to Carthis. He walked up to one of his friend's office chairs and made himself comfortable. It was obvious from his behavior that he possessed some office gossip that Sydney had yet to hear.   
  
Smiling at his young friend's obvious clues, Sydney asked the question he knew Broots was aching to answer. "I see from the look on your face that something has happened. What's the good news Broots?"  
  
Returning Sydney's smile Broots said, "Effective immediately Miss Parker is in charge of the day to day operations of the Centre. That's by order of the Triumvirate."  
  
Shocked by this information, Sydney sat quietly digesting this disturbing revelation. Looking at his friend Sydney asked, "when did this happen?"   
  
"Early this morning, when I came in Miss Parker called me into her office and told me that she had just been reassigned by Mountesi, the junior member of the Triumvirate. An interoffice email was circulated throughout the building from the Triumvirate informing all department heads of the change."  
  
"Hummm, I guess that's an incentive for me to check my email more often. Have you heard anything about how Mr. Craigon is taking his sudden demotion?"   
  
Shaking his head Broots said, "No, no one has said anything about him. Hawkins, the sweeper guarding the employee entrance, told Buzzy that Craigon hasn't come in today. You don't think something happened to him, do you?" Worry was beginning to reassert itself on Broots' face.   
  
"I don't know and I'm not too sure that I like this sudden change. I think I'll go see Miss Parker and try to find out more," Sydney said with an air of determination. He was faintly hurt that Miss Parker hadn't called him and told him about this change personally. Shrugging off the slight, Sydney was just getting out of his seat when his phone rang.  
  
"Sydney," he answered abruptly.   
  
"Hey there Syd, can you come to my office? There's something I would like to discuss with you," Miss Parker asked.   
  
"Of course Miss Parker, I'm on my way," he replied and replaced the phone in its cradle. He was somewhat mollified by her call, and nodding encouragingly to Broots, Sydney made his way over to Parker's office. As he was walking across the open lobby area towards her office, he noticed the quiet and empty corridors. Since Raines took over the Centre the place had turned more solemn and depressing than usual.  
  
Entering Parker's office, Sydney first noticed that she was directing all her attention to the computer screen on her desk. She was busily typing and concentrating on her work so much that apparently she hadn't noticed his entrance. She kept him waiting for a few seconds more and before Sydney could discreetly clear his throat, she turned and looked up at him.   
  
"Have a seat," she said, relaxing in her chair and slightly tilting it back so that she could cross her shapely legs.  
  
Wondering how she was going to proceed, Sydney obeyed and sat in the chair opposite her and took a careful look at her. She was dressed in a more moderate manner, he noticed that her black skirt wasn't as short as usual and her electric blue blouse was more conservatively buttoned. Her gray eyes reflected the blue of her blouse as she regarded him with a guarded if somewhat penetrating expression.   
  
"I suppose Broots has already broken the news to you, one of the Triumvirate members has decided its time for me try my hand at running things here." She said with a cynical curl of her lips.   
  
"Broots was in my office when you called. How did this happen and more importantly why?" he asked settling more comfortably in the chair.   
  
"I was here late last night when I got the call from Mountesi. I'm not sure if he's trying to make his bones on my carcass or what form this latest stunt will take," she said almost sadly.   
  
For a moment she reminded Sydney sharply of her mother, the same sadness was in her eyes and the knowledge of her own impending mortality was in her face. His fear for her increased ten fold and he sat up straighter in the chair.  
  
"Did he say what it was that he wanted from you?"   
  
"No, that's what worries me," she replied softly. Mentally shaking herself she offered him a ghost of a smile and continued, "While I'm in charge I plan on making the most of it. I want you to check the files of all our current inmates and determine what their current conditions are and surreptitiously try to find out how we 'acquired' these people and where they belong. That information could prove useful at a later date."  
  
"I understand. Any ideas how long they plan on leaving you in charge?"  
  
"None, but I have a feeling that this will last until Raines returns from his summit meeting, providing I refrain from taking 5 hour lunch breaks."  
  
"What has happened to Mr. Craigon?"  
  
"I have no idea, he hasn't bothered to show up to work today. I dispatched a sweeper team to his apartment 20 minutes ago but I haven't heard back from them yet."  
  
"Yes, it would be best to find out what if anything has occurred to him. Raines won't be too happy to hear that Craigon has gone missing. It's important to know what it is exactly you're distancing yourself from and the best way to go about it."  
  
"My thoughts exactly. It's nice to be on the same page with you again, Syd, by the way the Jarod pursuit has been regulated to backburner status. The computer geeks can continue the search alone. Besides, I need something to do once Raines returns," She replied with a grin.  
  
Nodding firmly and rising from his seat, he looked thoughtfully at her. "Miss Parker, as always, if you need someone to talk to about this situation my door is always open."   
  
She looked up at him, this time any genuine expression was completely obscured from her eyes. "Thanks, Sydney. I appreciate that."   
  
He left knowing that she would probably never truly open up to him. He regretted that she felt this way, but there was still one person left in her life able to breach that impenetrable wall she so carefully built, unfortunately he hadn't heard from Jarod in some time.  
  
  
It was the end to a long day. Sydney was settling back in the comfortable chair in his office enjoying a solitary drink and the classical music that played softly from the CD player sitting on top of his file cabinet. He had barely scratched the surface on his new assignment. After meeting with 4 different damaged minds he decided to stop and write up his assessment of their condition before continuing. He would need Broots' help to figure out where they had come from and where any family members might be staying. The events of the day were still monopolizing his thoughts, when his phone suddenly began to ring.  
  
"This is Sydney."  
  
"Sydney, have you ever wondered why anyone would purchase items they know won't work from infomercials?" Jarod asked in his usual abrupt manner.   
  
Chuckling in amusement from his protégé's comment and with a sly appreciation for Jarod waiting so late to call, Sydney answered, "the phenomena is a reincarnation of the 17th century huckster selling snake oil to anyone gullible enough to buy it."   
  
Propping his feet up on a desk, the Pretender readjusted his position while idly playing with a useless gadget he purchased from a television ad. "Most of this junk doesn't work and the ones that do aren't worth a fraction of the asking price."  
  
"That's pretty much what I suspected. Jarod, I'm very glad that you've called, I was beginning to get worried, we haven't heard from you in some time."  
  
"I decided to take a mini vacation from the chase. I've been enjoying myself so much that I think I will extend the vacation."  
  
"I don't blame you but Jarod there are some things happening here that I need your help with," Sydney began.   
  
"Are you alright, Sydney?" Jarod asked alarmed.   
  
"Yes, I'm fine. It's Miss Parker; one of the Triumvirate members has decided to test her abilities and has temporarily put her in charge of the Centre. Jarod, it's a trap and she knows it but there is nothing I can do to help her." The psychiatrist's worry and concern were evident in his tone.  
  
"They want to use her Sydney. I wouldn't be surprised if this hasn't been on their agenda for some time. How are Raines and Lyle reacting to this?"   
  
"They are both conveniently away from the Centre for the next few months. Raines had put another one of his personal sadists in charge but the fellow made the mistake of taking a 5-hour lunch."  
  
"I can see why you're worried, but Sydney what can I do to help you?" Jarod asked in bemusement.   
  
"She won't talk to me. I know there is more to this situation than she is willing to admit. The look on her face this afternoon scared me, Jarod. It's as if she's staring her own mortality in the face. You are the only person left that has even the remotest chance of getting her to open up, I was hoping that you would try." Sydney concluded with an air of defeat.   
  
"I'm sorry Sydney, but she never listens to me. I don't know what I could say that would be of any help, even if she did accept it, which I sincerely doubt she would. What happened to the 'you run, I chase' mindset? " Jarod inquired cautiously.  
  
"According to Miss Parker, you have been officially demoted to backburner status. Jarod I don't know everything that has occurred between you and Parker, but right now she is alone. There isn't a soul around that she can talk to unrestrained without feeling that she is putting them in jeopardy. I'm hoping there is still enough regard between the two of you that will make it feasible for you to reach out and help an old friend. Despite all the snide and biting remarks she is worth the effort." Sydney held his breath knowing this was Parker's last chance to have a worthy ally to whom she could talk.   
  
Chuckling softly, he knew Sydney was valiantly attempting to help his friend. Whatever her reaction or decision, Jarod silently promised that Parker would know how much his mentor truly cared for her. "Okay Sydney, you can take a breath now, I'll talk to her. I'm warning you, she probably will pull a gun on me and try to haul me back to the Centre, but I will try for you."   
  
"Thank you, Jarod, I appreciate that more than you know. If you need anything, let me know." Sydney offered.  
  
Smiling sadly Jarod responded, "Remember, I'm not making any promises. We're talking about a very stubborn, headstrong woman here."   
  
  
**Two weeks later**  
The Centre  
Blue Cove, DE   
  
  
Parker was still swamped in a sea of paperwork, with her added responsibilities came the added bureaucracy. She sighed in mild frustration, becoming Chairman wasn't on her list of things to achieve not even temporarily. Seeing the corrosive affects of this position on her 'father' were appalling enough, now she was facing the same gauntlet. Turning around to look out the window, she stood and placed a palm on the cool glass. She hadn't thought about the man she called Daddy for several days now. The tears had dried up quickly, probably more quickly than they should have. After the will had been read she was constantly haunted by a pervasive feeling of something left unfinished.  
  
This latest development with the Triumvirate was a sample of that. So far her bosses in Africa were appeased, they seemed to quiet down once they realized their incessant reports would continue to arrive on time. Everyday for the past week, she waited for another call but so far she was gratefully disappointed. Waiting for the other shoe to drop was a tedious business.   
  
There was a knock on the office door, and turning from her view of the seascape she deftly returned to her seat as she called out permission to enter. Her secretary entered with a parcel and handed it to her. She looked up and took the package from his hand. The postmark on the package indicated that it was routed via Centre-Europe from Africa.   
  
'Ah, joy, the other shoe decided to arrive.' She placed the parcel on the far corner of her desk and looked up again. Her secretary had left the door open and she was startled to hear noises outside. She got up from her seat and walked outside her office. The once evacuated, silent corridors were now bustling with Centre employees wandering around, talking and scurrying to meet deadlines once again. She blinked her eyes slowly in disbelief at the activity. Two weeks free from Raines' influence and things are back to Centre normal, who knew?  
  
  
Later that night, with the still unopened parcel perched on the corner of her desk, she was leaning back in her chair enjoying the quiet and solitude. What was quickly becoming a ritual, she waited for the Triumvirate to call. Tonight her patience was rewarded when her office phone began to ring. She let it go for 4 rings, staring at it, wondering if she should pick it up. Knowing they would try again tomorrow and that they were probably aware that she was in her office at this moment, she reached over and snatched up the handset.  
  
"What?" she asked keeping a trace of irritability in her voice.  
  
"Miss Parker, I am so glad that you are still there. I took a chance by ringing you this late in the evening." The accented, now slightly sinister voice said into the phone.  
  
"Where you're calling from, it must be very early," she commented careful to keep all emotions out of her voice.   
  
"It is my habit to be the first hard at work. The reason for my call is to congratulate you on your efficiency. My sources in the Centre have reported that you have done well to reestablish morale and confidence in your employees."  
  
"Well, it helps that I haven't developed a habit of summarily threatening the lives of my subordinates," she said with a touch of sarcasm.  
  
A long pause followed her comment. She was sick of his power pauses and resolved on leaving it up to him to break the silence. He obliged her by speaking first.   
  
"I have another proposition to offer you," he began and fell silent once again.   
  
"Let me guess, 'proposition' is just a turn of phrase for you. Let's cut to the chase, what is it that you want?"   
  
Chuckling softly from the back of his throat, he said, "You have yet to disappoint me, I've heard about your legendary impatience. I am offering you a chance to prove your worth to the entire Triumvirate. The offer is this: there are a number of difficult projects that several of the Centre's clients, including the American government is currently attempting to resolve. I want you to review the vast number of these projects and choose one the Centre can solve immediately. Broker a deal with the American state department for example, and make the deal profitable to the Centre."  
  
"Do I understand you correctly that I am at liberty to choose the project the Centre will tackle for the State Department?" sensing that this was the other shoe that was being dropped.   
  
"Yes, the package on your desk contains an exhaustive list of the projects we are most interested in, however, if you find something else more to your liking than you are free to pursue it," he replied smoothly and confidently.  
  
"Is there a time frame for this, uh, endeavor?" Parker asked a little mordantly.  
  
"This is a fairly straightforward test of your abilities, so you should be able to complete it in a relatively short period of time." He paused again then continued more menacingly, "make no mistake Miss Parker, my phrasing of this request was merely my habit of being congenial. Your survival depends on how well you are able to complete this simple task. Miss Parker, please do not disappoint me." The connection was unceremoniously severed leaving Parker to wonder how she was going to extricate herself from this situation.  
  
  
The next morning, Sydney was making his way to his office when he saw Broots hurrying off in the opposite direction. His attention was on a large sheaf of papers in his hand instead of where he was going so Sydney had no trouble running into him on purpose.  
  
"Broots, are you alright? I'm sorry, here let me help you with that."  
  
"Hi, Syd. Yeah, I'm all right I was just trying to get this report over to Miss Parker. She seemed to be very eager to get this."   
  
After gathering the papers together the two men stood up straight and looked at each other. It had been over a week since they had seen each other. Parker was keeping Broots busy assisting her in keeping the Triumvirate satisfied with their constant need for computerized reports.  
  
Smiling at his friend, Sydney asked, "Is there something special about this particular report?"   
  
"Well, it's a report I obtained from the State Department about some problem projects they've been having trouble solving. Miss Parker wanted me to concentrate on all the humanitarian and non-military projects." Broots explained.   
  
"Interesting, I think I'll go with you to Miss Parker's office, maybe I can be of some assistance." Sydney remarked aloud, wondering silently what would she want with the information Broots had.   
  
As the men entered her office, they both noticed Parker looking intently at something on her computer screen. When she noticed them standing in front of her desk, she quickly cleared the screen and turned her full attention to them.   
  
"Here are those reports you asked for, Miss Parker," Broots said solicitously.   
  
"Broots, make sure the usual reports are immediately messengered over to the Triumvirate and after that your free as a bird, just keep your pager firmly attached incase I need something."  
  
Giving her a large smile of appreciation, Broots thanked her sincerely and quickly left her office before she realized that she had just given him the rest of the day off and it was only 9 o'clock in the morning.   
  
Watching Broots leave happily, Sydney smiled at the tech's back and returned his attention to Miss Parker. "You seem to be in a good mood, and it isn't even noon yet," he said smilingly.  
  
"The way I've been working him, he should enjoy having at least one unscheduled day off. Sydney, I'm glad you're here. There are at least 4 Pretenders still here at the Centre, I want to meet one of them."   
  
"Really? You have never shown any interest before, may I ask why now?" he inquired carefully. She had sparked his curiosity yet again and he still hadn't had the chance to question her about the sudden interest in State Department programs.  
  
"You can ask, but I don't think it would be in your best interest if I answer. I'm interested in the pretender called Bryan have you worked with him before?"  
  
"Yes, I have. Unfortunately he is on a low sub par of Jarod. Bryan has talent but he is often very recalcitrant and lately seems unable to focus his concentration for extended periods of time. There are others who show far more potential than he. If you tell me what it is you're after then perhaps I can help you," he asked trying a different tack.   
  
"When you walked in I was going over his confidential profile. I think he is exactly what I need and according to his daily activities log he should be wide-awake and bushy tailed. Let's go now so you can introduce us before you start your day," she replied completely ignoring his question.   
  
After briefly stopping by his office to deposit his briefcase and overcoat, Sydney proceeded with Parker to Sublevel 18 where the Pretender Bryan was currently working. When they were standing just outside the doors to the sim-lab Parker stopped Sydney by touching his arm.  
  
"Look Syd, I appreciate you not pressuring me into answering your legitimate questions but I have my reasons," she said. Closing her eyes briefly and sighing deeply, she continued, "I know we have both heard these words a million times before, but I hope coming from me you will be believe them: trust me. The less you know about what I'm about to do the better." While she spoke she gently squeezed his arm and giving him a piercing look, she nodded once and quickly grasped the doorknob and entered the lab.  
  
"Hello, Bryan. There is someone here that I would like you to meet. This is Miss Parker, she is the Acting Chairman, Miss Parker this is Bryan." Sydney made the introductions in the typically precise manner that he used whenever he addressed a pretender.   
  
Parker nodded curtly at the pretender and silently examined him. He was an intense looking young man, sitting at a long metal table. He was in his late 20's and despite the loose fitting Centre issue clothing it was obvious that he was well developed and muscular. His close cut dark hair provided a striking contrast with his dark green eyes and his overall even featured face completed the handsome picture. The room was quiet as both Bryan and Parker studied each other. Parker seemed satisfied and turning to Sydney said, "thank you, Sydney. I would like to speak to Bryan alone for a few minutes."  
  
"Very well Miss Parker. I will be in my office if you need me," Sydney answered and stealing one last look at Parker he left taking Bryan's psychiatrist along with him.  
  
"I've read a lot about you, Bryan. There is a project that I need your help with, do you think you would be willing to help me?" Parker asked speculatively.   
  
Laughing dryly, Bryan answered, "do I have any choice in the matter, Miss Parker?"   
  
"I asked someone that same question last night, so I have an idea of what you might be feeling. Yes, you do have a choice, you can turn me down and I will approach someone else," she answered without taking her eyes from his for a second.   
  
Seeing the truth of her statement in her eyes, Bryan averted his gaze for a few seconds as he considered her request. "Why are you asking me? You're the Chairman, you can force me to perform any simulation that you want," he countered trying to figure out what game she was playing.  
  
"I'm not playing any games or trying to analyzing you. I'm asking because you have a tendency to become intractable and uncooperative. I want to avoid any negative, time-consuming delays before they happen. So what's your answer?" Parker asked, her patience quickly waning.  
  
"You obviously don't like to be kept waiting but I have one last question: Why me?" he tilted his head in almost the same manner as Jarod.  
  
"I want you because right now you're the only pretender whose abilities come any where near the vicinity of Jarod's," she answered simply.   
  
His eyes widened in surprise at her statement, and smiling he replied with honest modesty, "I'm sorry, but I believe you have me confused with someone else."   
  
"I've been on the pursuit of Jarod for over five years. I've studied his file, what I could find of it and have spoken with him often enough to know a good Pretender when I see one. You hide your abilities behind unruly behavior, now that's something I understand because I've been there and done that."  
  
"What is it that you want me to do?" he asked looking down. When no reply came, he looked up and noticed the irritated look that suffused her features. Sighing deeply he nodded slightly and answered, "yes, I'll help you."   
  
"Good, study this file," she said flicking her wrist towards the table she tossed a folder with the Centre logo embossed across the front. "I need you to come up with a viable solution to this problem within a week. I'm hoping it won't take you any longer than that."  
  
Bryan gingerly turned the folder so it was right side up and opening the cover sheet he began to read. Quickly scanning the first page, he looked up at Parker with questions in his eyes.  
  
"I know, it's a non-military endeavor but it's a problem that so far no one has been able to solve without creating bigger more pervasive problems. If you can come up with a workable simulation than we will have another....discussion. One that involves my thoughts on some tentative changes with the Pretender project."   
  
"I'll do my best Miss Parker," Bryan said sincerely. The haunted look in her eyes told him that she was one of the good guys. It had been a long while since one of them had been interested in him. 


	2. Promote at your own risk - chapter II

Disclaimer:  I own none of the original Pretender characters or basic storyline; they belong to others.  No infringement is intended.  

Authors note:  Please give me some feedback to let me know how you like it. 

Promote at your own risk Chapter II 

By Callisto

_The Office of the Senior Case Administrator _

_U.S. State Department_

_Washington, DC_

"Mr. Porter, I'm grateful to you for taking this meeting.  I assure you that your valuable time will be amply rewarded," Parker intoned in her carefully modulated voice.    

"I was told by my superiors that the corporation you represent has provided the government with some valuable assistance in the past, what is it that I can do for you today?" he asked barely masking his petulant annoyance at being forced to talk to this woman, despite her attractiveness.

"Your department has identified a pesky problem with government officials acting like gang lords in a certain South American country.  A large amount of funds have already been allocated to solve the problem.  From what I understand, no one has come up with a solution for neutralizing the officials involved and stemming the tidal wave of illicit narcotics flowing from that country into this one. Is that the problem in a nutshell?" she asked favoring him with her most winning smile. 

"Yes, we have had a problem there and so far all our efforts have failed," he relented reluctantly as he began to fall under the spell of her smile and compelling eyes.

"Well, my corporation has a solution to your problem.  Follow our strategist's recommendations to the letter and your problem will be solved," she replied carefully watching his reaction.  

"And I am to take your word for it?" he smiled at her brash confidence.

"Yes and no.  Employ our recommendations, if they work then you will pay us.  If they don't than we will come up with alternate plans until one does.  I can tell you that my people have already tested this strategy and as I am sure you're aware one of the lower level officials in that country has already been mysteriously neutralized without fanfare."

"Are you talking about the Deputy Director of Transportation?  I would hardly consider him as a 'lower level official'.  Our informants told us that he had an accident."  Giving her a hard, calculating look he sat back and considered the euphemistic terms she used for what he had been told had occurred to the Deputy Director.  "Very well, the bottom line, payment.  How much are you expecting to be paid?" he asked figuring he already knew what the answer would be. 

"I want the entire allocation that your contract agency has been awarded.  I believe that is roughly 80 million dollars.  Seems you folks didn't plan on coming up with a solution anytime soon," she replied deadpan. 

"You want the entire allotment?  Lady, you may not have been born with them but you certainly walked into my office with quite a pair," Porter scoffed derisively. 

"Our plan will work, and we are conscious of the fact that this agency will be free to employ our recommendations at will and in other countries.  We are more than willing to let your agency grab all the credit for it with the public.  My corporation shuns the public spotlight and only seeks payment for services rendered," said she nodding sagely at his surprised expression.  He hadn't anticipated that she would know the secondary reason for developing a workable solution.  "It's quite a plan."  She favored him with a smug smile.

"I would have to get this approved by my superiors first and that could take some time," said he, salivating at the thought that he and his agency would grab the credit for seizing millions in illegal drugs.  He could tell from her extremely confident expression and the high praise his superiors had heaped on her organization that her plan would work. 

"Take all the time you need, when you get final approval, call us and we will finalize our agreement," she said, as she remained seated and stared thoughtfully at this finely pedantic example of American bureaucracy at work. 

"Very well, where is this plan that you're touting?" he asked, testing her moxie.

Laughing softly, she gave him another smile that stopped just short of her eyes.  "You will get a look at our solution when we have the payment or an agreement for payment in writing from your department with your signature and the signature of the Secretary. 

She was satisfied when his face dropped.  She knew what she was asking wasn't impossible and that a quick call to the Secretary himself would hasten the process.  Finally moving to leave she stood and looking down at the still shocked bureaucrat she said, "don't wait too long Mr. Porter, your colleagues are depending on your alacrity."

Having already gotten approval to grant her anything she asked, Mr. Porter stood reluctantly and answered her frankly for the first time.  "Miss Parker you have a deal, but included in the agreement will be a provision that if your plan doesn't succeed than the government will be fully reimbursed."   He then opened a desk drawer and took out a sheaf of papers, which spelled out the terms of their agreement.       

_The Centre_

_Blue Cove, DE_  

Slowly meandering thru the corridors to Sydney's office, Parker reflected on the now resuscitated Centre coffers.  She had yet to receive a call from the Triumvirate, but knew one would be made soon.  Mr. Porter was more than a little ecstatic about the results of Bryan's recommendations.  He hinted, none too subtly, that he would be available as a contact person should she find more solutions to any of the State Department's numerous problematic projects.

She continued her stroll only vaguely aware of the respectful stares that were cast her way.  When she finally arrived at Sydney's office, she took a seat in the chair in front of his desk.  When he glanced up distractedly from a small pile of papers, she said, "I have something I need to discuss with you about the Pretender project."

"I heard that you were quite pleased with Bryan's performance.  I take it that the project you had him working on just happened to be extremely profitable to the Centre?" he asked not sure if he should be pleased with the application of Bryan's talent or irritated that so far she was the only person in the past few months successful in getting the young man to do anything noteworthy.  

"Yes, and before you start going on about selling his simulation, Bryan was informed of its application before he even started.  I came here because I want to try something different with the program but I want to keep the whole process confidential." She said quietly with a resolute look on her face.  

"What do you have in mind?" he asked as he finally put aside his paperwork and giving her his full attention.  

"I want to start a trial program with Bryan in which he will be allowed to have frequent day trips outside the Centre under the watchful eyes of his supervising psychiatrist and a couple of closed mouth sweepers," she began as she gauged his reaction to her idea.  

Sydney maintained a mask of impassivity as she continued; "he will continue to work on projects for me from time to time.  My goal in this is to eventually transition him from Centre slave into an autonomous Centre employee. There will be obvious limitations on him in the beginning and it will be necessary for him to live with a willing participant until he learns how to function outside this environment independently."  She matched Sydney's impassive look and waited patiently for his reaction.  

"The Pretender project has always been predicated on the idea that these individuals needed to be maintained in a carefully controlled environment completely free from extraneous distractions, without this control their abilities would become corrupted, compromised and eventually the expansion of their unique minds would cease altogether."

"I would've thought that Jarod's success on the 'outside' would have proven those theories baseless.  Being away from the Centre's influence has barely caused a hiccup in Wonder-boy's game, in fact I believe that even you would have to agree the opposite is true," she commented sardonically. 

"Jarod is the ultimate among geniuses, his adaptability and coping mechanisms are superlative.  Bryan is an entirely different story, just because you have had success in this one project doesn't mean that Bryan is anywhere near Jarod's caliber."  Sydney said becoming quietly agitated. 

Leaning forward in her seat she said, "Yeah, but you didn't know anything about how well Jarod would fare away from his 'controlled environment' until he demonstrated it successfully.  What I'm asking for here is the same thing only in gradual increments and under supervision." 

"I think it would be a grave mistake to take this course of action," he replied with a closed expression.  He felt he was right and that her dangerous ideas would only hurt Bryan.  

Recognizing the set look on his face, Parker leaned back in her seat and sighed.  She knew she wouldn't be able to sway him to her way of thinking; he was too set in his ways.  She didn't want to do this but her plans depended on giving Bryan some freedom and she was convinced that a little liberty would only improve his abilities instead of inhibit them. 

"Sydney, I was hoping to get you to see reason, since that isn't likely to happen in this life time, I'm ordering you to start making preparations to implement my idea.  I want Bryan to start walking around the immediate perimeter of the Centre by next week," she said as she rose from the seat.  "Give him a chance to dip his toes in the surf and jog along the shore.  If he has an adverse reaction, then summit a formal report and the walks outside will stop."  She had moved to the door and paused to look at him, noticing his grim expression she rolled her eyes and said, "don't look so glum, everything I'm asking you to do now will be reversed the minute a certain evil, bald man returns.  Oh and remember, not a word of this to anybody.  I will be the only one responsible if there are any repercussions. " 

Parker was just stepping off the elevator to sublevel 18 as she turned and headed in the direction of Bryan's usual sim-lab.  'Whew, that went well.  He looked like he wanted to tear my head off,' she thought morosely.  She entered the sim-lab quietly and watched as Bryan finished giving his recommendations on a test sim.  When he finished she walked up to his supervising psychologist and whispered that she wanted to have a word with Bryan alone.

Once the psychologist left the room, Parker took a seat across the table from Bryan.  'He's a comely one, where do they find these guys?'  She immediately pushed the thought from her mind, realizing that Bryan had no trouble reading her expressions.

"I told you that once you finished the last project for me that we would have another discussion.  Our clients were pleased with your findings."

"I'm glad that I was able to assist you, Miss Parker," Bryan responded dutifully.

"The robotic gag probably works on the shrinks but it doesn't cut any ice with me.  I'm interested in changing your current situation.  How would you like to start taking walks outside in the fresh air and sun?" she asked knowing the carrot she was dangling would be irresistible. 

He sat still for a few moments, shuffling the numerous questions that were roaming around in his mind before coming up with one he felt sure she would answer.  "I would like that very much, what would I have to do to get that reward?"

Treating him to a mischievous grin she replied, "you've already done it.  Let me candid, I want to transform you from your current status to a full-fledged card carrying Centre employee.  It's not something that will happen overnight, but for as long as I'm in charge your exposure to the outside world will be increased."

"Sydney mentioned that you were 'Acting Chairman', what happens when Mr. Raines returns?" he asked bluntly.  

"You will probably be returned to living like you currently are, but while I'm in charge, you will have a taste of the outside world.  From what I understand, that's better than nothing."

"I guess Jarod must have told you that.  He's right," Bryan said with conviction.

"Being outside hasn't hurt Jarod in the least, and it certainly hasn't slowed him down," she said with a wry smile.  "But you're not Jarod, so I have ordered Sydney to start you out slowly, a few walks around the outer portion of the compound and eventually some jogs along the shoreline."           

"That would be very nice, something to dream about.  Why are you even thinking about doing this?"  Curiosity was apparent in his features. 

"I am almost certain that I will be needing your help in the very near future.  I want you relaxed, ready and willing.  The sims that I will be presenting you with in the future will grow in complexity and difficulty so I will need you at your best.  Before submitting your findings to my clients, I will have a team of sweepers or computer techs as the case may be, test your simulations.  Personally, I would prefer to avoid any possible military applications but that may not be possible."  She almost lost her train of thought because her inner sense chose that particular moment to voice its opinion.  'Follow your heart.  Listen to your heart.'  What exactly it was talking about was a mystery to her.      

"Are you alright Miss Parker?" Bryan asked a little worried by her sudden distraction. 

"Yes, I'm fine.  I'm telling you all this in confidence.  Your sojourns outside will be conducted in secrecy," she told him firmly. 

"I understand.  I will help you as much as I can," he vowed almost as firmly.  He could tell that she was in a position similar to his own and he truly wanted to help her.

"Excellent, eventually I will be including another pretender to assist you.  The second pretender will test your theories and will do their best to find flaws and mistakes.  It's nothing to be alarmed about; just another way to make sure that your findings will work."  She said this as she came to her feet.  Glancing at her watch, she noticed that it was after 6 o'clock and time to start her Triumvirate phone call vigil. 

Mountesi called 30 minutes later, a little on the early side for him.  His accented voice was smooth as silk.  "Miss Parker, I am very pleased to see your success exceeded even my high expectations."

"Thank you, sir.  It's a relief to hear that you're pleased," she said quietly. 

"Ah, the wit, I have finally had a chance to experience it, very charming," he intoned succinctly.  He paused, something she was beginning to get used to as she waited for him to continue. 

"There is one more goal that we would like to see you reach before we feel comfortable negotiating with you."  The pause this time was very brief.  "We would like you to continue problem solving with the American government or any government you choose until you restock the Centre's coffers with approximately half a billion in U.S. dollars. I realize that this is a more challenging hurdle but in the light of your recent success, I feel that it is within your capable reach."

She blanched at the figure he so blithely named.  She had expected half that but wasn't ready to hear that they wanted her to make deals that would add up to such a high figure.  She realized with a sickening certainty that she was either going to fail, which would mean her death.  Or she would succeed and that would mean they would never let her go.  Without realizing it, she had fallen silent as her mind reeled at the realities of her predicament.  Presently she became aware that he was waiting for her to respond.

"I presume there is another time limit?" she was surprised by the strength and steadiness of her voice.

"I am tempted to say 2 months, I am an admirer of American ingenuity when pressed.  However, I am realistic also so I am giving you 6 months to complete this task," his voice had ceased being pleasing and instead reminded her of how she always imagined a snake would sound if it could talk.  "Perhaps now you will condescend to look at the packet we sent you with the list of projects we are most interested in, they may prove to be more profitable than those you have been choosing."

"Then I am still at liberty to choose the projects that I am most interested in?" she asked with a mouth that felt as dry as an old bone.

"Of course, Miss Parker, I realize how this must sound but we are not harpies or monsters.  We have exacting standards that must be met and we feel it necessary to insure that every candidate will be able to measure up," he said, as she imagined his forked tongue flicking out from partially closed lips.  

"Candidate?  I don't remember signing up for anything."

"There was no need for you to sign up, your family saw to that for you.  Miss Parker, please do not disappoint me."  The dial tone burred softly in her ear as she turned the recorder off. 

_Parker Residence_

_Blue Cove, DE_  

All she wanted to do now was to prepare a stiff drink and curl up in the corner of her couch.  The latest phone call from the Triumvirate had shocked her deeply.  Finally grasping what it was they wanted from her, all she wanted to do was hide.  She was depressingly alone; there was no one to share this with, no one who would understand and sympathize.

She put her briefcase away and changed into silk pajamas.  After grabbing a glass from the kitchen cabinet she broke the seal on an unopened bottle of single malt scotch whisky.  She had severely cut back on her alcohol consumption but today definitely qualified as an oblivion alternative.  She quickly gulped down the first drink and poured a generous second dose when she realized that she was still standing in front of the liquor cabinet.  Turning to the sofa, she had her head down as she topped off the glass and placed the bottle on the living room table.  

"You must have had one hell of a day to need that kind of anesthesia."  A deep, sardonic male voice said. 

Jumping at the sound she turned towards the voice and saw Jarod leaning against the doorway that lead into the kitchen.  She stared at him speechless for about 10 seconds before she started to laugh hysterically.  She was laughing so hard that she started to double over, spilling part of her drink as she sank into the couch. 

Jarod continued to stare at her.  It was obvious something at the Centre had rattled her so badly that even his appearance didn't trigger her automatic response of grabbing her 9mm.  Watching her disintegrate into complete hysteria, Jarod straightened and walked cautiously to her side and sat down leaning over trying to look into her face.  Her thick, dark hair had fallen like a curtain over her face as her body began to shake.  He gently brushed aside her hair and saw that she had started crying silently.  Frowning briefly, he considered leaving and perhaps returning when she had a chance to pull herself together.  Knowing if he did that he would feel like a heel, Jarod firmly pried the whisky glass from her unwilling fingers and folded her into an embrace.  

This seemed to snap her out of her hysteria as she started to fight him.  She began beating at his arms and face, landing some punishing blows.  Defending himself Jarod tried to catch her hands and arms and soon they were in a muddle on the floor before she finally gave up.

The only sound for the next few minutes was their heavy breathing.  She then extricated herself from Jarod's grip and sat up on the couch, reaching for her drink.   Jarod joined her again on the sofa and watched her intensely.  After a few moments of silence she spoke.

"What are you doing here?"  Her voice sounded raw from the tears and her head was hanging down almost to her knees with both elbows resting on her thighs. 

"Sydney was worried about you, he asked me to talk to you," he said, sympathy evident in his voice. 

Too tired to laugh or make a snide comment she satisfied herself with a deep gulp of scotch. 

"It would seem that he was right to be worried.  He thought that you needed to talk to someone and since you weren't going to open up with him, he was grasping at straws when he asked me."  She looked so small and defeated that he had trouble controlling the urge to engulf her into another embrace.  

She remained silent for a while and he decided that fighting her was preferable to this quiet self-pity.  So he reached over and lightly draped an arm across her back and cupped her shoulder in his hand.  When she didn't strike out, he drew her into his body and held her gently.  She surprised him by putting the glass down and turning into his body she put her arms around his waist and clung to him. 

After a few minutes, Jarod carefully sat further into the couch, so that they were both resting more comfortably against the back of the cushions.  She offered no resistance and kept her head buried in his chest.  When several more minutes passed she slowly released him and moved away.

'What could have happened to her that would leave her so distraught?  It must have been extremely traumatic to cause this reaction,' he thought as his mind searched for possible reasons.

She reached for her drink again, this time draining the contents.  She held the empty glass in her hands for a few seconds longer, then without looking at him she said, "I apologize, you shouldn't have seen me like that."  Taking a deep sigh she replaced the small glass on the table.  "You seem to have the knack for finding me whenever I'm at an emotional low point." 

"Tell me, what has happened.  What has caused you this much pain and grief?" he asked almost plaintively.  He stared at her waiting patiently for an answer to his question.  He knew that pushing her would do no good and would probably cause her to shut down and shut him out. 

She considered finding her 9mm and forcing him to leave, but she was just too tired to get up much less to summon the requisite emotions she didn't really feel.  Suspecting that he would probably leave the minute she started her twisted tale she slowly began telling him about the conversations she had been having with the Triumvirate.  She spoke non-stop for over an hour, omitting a few details.  Recounting the tale along with the emotions and conclusions that she had reached was therapeutic.  However, seeing her situation with more objective eyes, her predicament was just as bad as her subjective viewpoint. 

She finally concluded with her last conversation with Mountesi and suddenly stopped talking.  Her heart was heavy and she was depressed but knew that she would have to come to a decision about which direction she would take.  Brushing her hair from her forehead and pulling it back with her hand, she turned and saw with some surprise that Jarod hadn't moved a muscle and was still staring at her with a grave and concerned expression. 

"Come on rat-boy, give me both barrels.  Go on, say 'it's about time you got your comeuppance.  What did you expect, this is the 'legacy' your sick, corrupted father bequeathed to you.'  I deserve it after all the misery I've put you through."  The sound of her self-pitying rant was irritating to her own ears.  She impatiently got up and walked towards the kitchen, taking the empty glass with her.  When she had taken a few steps she waved her free hand at him dismissively and said, "I'm sorry, you didn't deserve that either."  

Nodding his acceptance of her apology he remained silent, so they had finally approached her.  He was almost proud of her distress.  He had been afraid that she was going to let them engulf her and poison the carefully hidden store of decency and goodness, which still remained within her.  He continued to be very cautious, she was on the brink of yet another turning point, and the direction she took now would determine the course of the rest of her life and probably the lives of those around her.                  

"What are you going to do, have you made a decision yet?" he asked with a bit of trepidation.  

"No.  Either way I'm dead, if by some miracle I'm able to reach their goal than they will never let me go—that's too terrible to even imagine; if I fail then they will kill me.  There isn't much of a choice to be made."

"When do you expect Raines to return?"

"He isn't expected back for at least another couple of months.  Lyle won't be back for at least another 4 months.  That's the only relief in this twisted scenario, at least I don't have those two to worry about." 

"I'm sure the Triumvirate thought the same thing," he said almost distractedly.  Looking up suddenly into her eyes as she stood in the kitchen doorway he asked, "would you do something for me?" 

Smiling at the calculating look in his eyes she replied gently, "what is it?" 

"Do what they want for the moment.  Keep making money for them using the State Department and any other government agency; it will give you a little breathing room.  Am I correct in supposing that you have a pretender at the Centre who is helping you?"  The fierce look in his eyes was directed at her full force.  

"Yes, I have a pretender working out the simulations for me.  He knows what I'm doing and I'm trying to make it more of a quid pro quo situation than what you were generally exposed to," her emotional weariness was beginning to show again. 

"What are you offering him?" Jarod asked incredulously.  

"I ordered Sydney to make arrangements to allow him to go outside and walk around the grounds.  I laid out my plan to Sydney but he looked like he wanted to tear my head off.  After what you've been through I would have thought he would be ecstatic."

"Offering a taste of freedom then snatching it away whenever you choose is extremely cruel," Jarod said simply, astonished that she couldn't see the brutality of her plan.   

"I warned him that as long as I'm in charge his walks outside would continue but the minute Raines returns they would come to a screeching halt.  I have no plans on stopping them until I'm forced to, regardless of the success of his simulations," she said disgusted that he could think she would be that unkind.

Nodding thoughtfully at her response, Jarod was silent for a few moments.  His thoughts had jumped ahead to a possible solution to her current crisis.  "I need some time to give your situation a little thought.  If you're willing then I believe that we can possibly get you out of there in one piece."  Looking up at her again, he tilted his head to one side and stared at her speculatively.  "Are you sure you're ready to leave?" 

"Yes, not that I have much of a choice.  Speaking of which, how did you manage to get in here?  There are sweepers in just about every other bush out there," she asked frowning. 

Displaying his usual smirk, he responded, "That's a trade secret.  I also disconnected the audio and looped all the cameras they installed in here.  So all they're seeing are the same images that were recorded yesterday." 

Sharing his amusement she gave him a small tired twist of the lips.  "Thanks for not running out of here the minute I started talking.  I wouldn't have blamed you in the least, but I'm glad you stuck around."

'She's more exhausted than I thought.  First she apologizes for being rude and now she's thanking me for breaking into her home and listening to her when she was obviously distressed.  Her low expectations have got to stop.'  He thought wryly and was determined to end them as well. 

"You're worn out, why don't you go to bed and try to get some sleep.  The next few days are going to be rough," he said aloud.  Rising from his seat he gave her one last thoughtful look and quietly slipped through the backdoor.    

_The Centre_

_Blue Cove, DE_

The next few days were a flurry of activity for Parker.  She had delegated most of her duties prior to her unexpected promotion to Broots.  He was responsible for keeping the Triumvirate happy by maintaining the flow of reports they demanded.  Her attitude towards Broots had changed subtly, she no longer had the time, nor the inclination to yell and harass him as she used to; too many other things demanded her attention. 

Bryan had provided her with a few more Sims that solved some of the more minor overseas problems that the State Department was incapable of solving on their own.  She shook her head at some of Bryan's resolutions, they were logical and something that the government agency should have come up with on their own.  She contacted Mr. Porter and brokered the deals.  He was happy to oblige, the revenue was far less than the first deal but as long as the Centre's coffers were slowly fattening up, than the Triumvirate should remain happy.

Sydney reluctantly started Bryan on limited and heavily monitored constitutionals around the Centre's grounds.  Bryan was responding exactly in the manner Parker suspected he would and his overall performance improved dramatically.  Sydney was so impressed that he went so far as to congratulate her on her more prescient insight.

She hadn't seen Jarod since that night he discovered her in the process of falling apart.  She was deeply embarrassed and wasn't sure if she could face the Pretender again without feeling like an idiot.  She knew that he wouldn't mention it again.  He was the soul of discretion when it came to helping her.  She couldn't help or control the deep feelings of gratitude that exuded from her core whenever she thought about that night.  Yet one more time, he was there for her when she needed him most and had shown up in person the second she stopped looking for him.  She abruptly swept that train of thought from her mind; the last thing she wanted was to start mooning like a lovesick teenager when all he offered was a friendly ear.

_Dover Satellite Facility_

_Dover, DE_

She felt her focus slipping, knowing she had to refocus her attention she took a well deserved break.  Jumping into her Porsche, she quickly wheeled away from the imposing structure she worked in and headed north to a small facility that was affiliated with the Centre.  It was a non-descript office building; inside there were small labs and exam rooms.  She strode past the security desk and guard that was stationed in the lobby—she was a frequent visitor.  After an elevator trip and a few turns down corridors of unlabeled doors she eventually arrived at her destination.  Pausing briefly to arrange her features into a pleasing mask, she opened the door.  

Inside an open area was visible from the small glassed-off vestibule.  A keycard allowed her access to the interior and walking towards the rear of the room and out of sight of anyone who might come in behind her, she opened yet another door and found the person she was looking for curled up on a small bed.  She entered the darkened room and gently touched the sweet face of the little boy she helped bring into the world.  Ian stirred and slowly opened his long lashed eyelids.  She couldn't suppress the smile that suffused her features as his large hazel eyes focused on her.  She gently ran her fingers through his soft, slightly curly dark hair.  The child without changing expression threw himself into her arms and clung to her with surprising strength. 

Laughing softly she returned his hug and pulled him into her lap.  When she managed to pull the two-year old away from her neck, she immediately kissed both his eyes and a soft round cheek.

"I missed you," his child's voice told her with a slightly reproachful note.     

"I know, baby.  I missed you too, that's why I'm here now.  How has your day been?" she asked keeping her voice low.

"They keep giving me tests, I'm tired of tests.  How long are you going to stay today?" he asked eagerly.  His speech and vocabulary were extraordinary for a child his age.   

"I can only stay for a little while, then I have to go back to work," she told him as her eyes roamed over every inch of him.

She got up with Ian still in her arms and turned on the lights.  She remained with the boy, playing and talking with him contentedly for a couple of hours, until both her pager and cell phone began to ring.    

Once back inside the Centre walls, Parker headed towards her office.  She had meetings scheduled for the rest of the day and only then would she be free to leave for the relative quiet of her own house.  She had already met with the 2nd pretender she planned on including in her projects.  The scientific simulation that the Triumvirate was interested in developing was the project of a high profile drug company.  The drug company had needed help isolating the key natural components of a plant they hoped to synthesize into a drug that would significantly speed up the healing process after certain invasive surgeries.

In this latest endeavor, she needed Sydney's medical expertise to assist her in learning the overall details and applications.  She was sure there were other applications for this particular simulation, Parker didn't believe for a minute the Triumvirate would be eager to have this problem solved without there being a more nefarious purpose.

_Parker Residence _

_Blue Cove, DE_         

She arrived home earlier than usual.  Tonight she wasn't in the mood to wait around to hear any of the Triumvirate's barely veiled threats.  She had stopped by the store on her way home and brought a few frozen dinners, one of which she was going to eat as soon as she changed.

She was in her favorite pajamas, as she padded barefoot into the kitchen.  Her frozen dinner had been warming up in the microwave as she was changing.  Entering the kitchen she stopped short in surprise when her eyes caught the sight of Jarod munching contentedly on her dinner.  She was torn between amusement at the sight and annoyance at his audacity.

"This is better than I thought it would be," he said with a full mouth.  Pointing at the running microwave, he continued, "I replaced this with one of the others.  When I got here and smelled what you were preparing I realized that I forgot to eat today." 

She stared at him mutely, than mentally shrugging she opened one of the cabinets and retrieved a wine glass and disappeared into the living room.  By the time she returned with her full glass she found that Jarod had placed her now heated dinner in a plate complete with utensils lined up along the side.

They ate in companionable silence, each wrapped up in their own thoughts.  When she finished eating, she cleared their things and returned the kitchen to its pristine condition.

"To what do I owe the honor of your presence?" she asked sardonically.

"I thought you might need some company.  The situation you're in doesn't lend itself to unloading your worries and concerns on friends who could get hurt." Seeing her resistant expression he continued, "I'm here as a friend, an old, neglected friend who doesn't mind fighting with you if that's what it takes to be of some help."  His gentle, concerned smile finally won her over as she relaxed her vigilant posture and abruptly turned and entered the living room.  

Jarod waited a few beats then followed her.  He found her curled up in a corner of the sofa.  Jarod settled into a chair next to the sofa and waited for her to tell him the rest of the story she started several days ago.  Instead of filling him in on the details, Parker looked at Jarod with pensive interest and asked, "I'm tired of thinking and brooding about the Centre.  Tell me something about what you've been up to; I need to hear something positive for a change."

Surprised by her comment, Jarod was quiet for a moment and considered telling her about his last pretend as a realtor.  The situation had ended with the serial rapist serving a lengthy sentence, but the story was depressing and everyone involved had been left with scars that would last a lifetime.  Seeing her expectant expression, Jarod decided to tell her a truth about himself that she probably wouldn't believe.  Smiling at his hastily formed plan he began, "I met someone recently."

Returning his smile, she cupped her chin in the heel of her hand and said teasingly, "it's about time.  What's she like?" 

"She's kind, loyal, very smart and has a wicked sense of humor," he replied thoughtfully. 

"That's nice, I take it that you like her?  Is the feeling mutual?  Come on, don't stop there," her tone was exasperated but the expression in her eyes was friendly.  

"Okay, yeah I think the feeling is mutual," he responded laughingly.  "With the life I'm leading it's kind of difficult to form any lasting relationships."  He looked away, he didn't mean to get on the subject of her pursuit, but it did color almost everything in his life.  He hastily continued, "I think we have a chance though of building something lasting.  She was reluctant at first but I think I'm finally growing on her a bit."

"You can disappear without a trace any time you want and there isn't a damn thing I can do about it.  All you have to do is let go.  I know finding your family is paramount in your mind but what about your life?  We aren't getting any younger, it's about time you started thinking seriously about starting a family of your own," she said earnestly. 

He stared at her thoughtfully.  He liked talking to her like this, and he had to acknowledge that she had a point.  Looking at her, he asked the loaded question, "what about you?  Are you going to try again, open your heart to someone and perhaps start a family of your own?" 

Giving a derisive snort, she answered, "no way, Tommy was my last chance.  I can't take the risk of meeting someone and start caring about them only to have them murdered by my employers or worse yet held as leverage against me," she said solemnly.  "Hey, I thought we were talking about you?  My life is too depressing let's continue with yours.  Are you going to make a move on your girlfriend?  How serious are you really?" she asked with a smile.  "Oh and while your at it, I want to hear about our brother.  What has he been up to lately?"

Slouching into a more comfortable posture and putting his feet up on her table, Jarod began answering her questions and catching her up on the latest doings of their brother, Ethan.  They talked throughout most of the night, and when Parker's eyelids finally began to succumb to her fatigue, Jarod stealthfully got up, covered her with the throw that was laying on the sofa and left quietly.                              

_The Centre_

_Blue Cove, DE  _

The next morning started out as usual.  Parker was finally settling in as chairman.  She didn't realize it consciously but she was a natural.  Almost without effort a small, tight-knit cadre of Centre employees formed around her, protecting her and watching her back.  She had the ability to inspire loyalty and efficiency in those around her.  So far in her tenure as Chairman, she resolved a few long standing internal problems that had been plaguing the inner operations for years.  The Centre retained its reprehensible face but the deep perniciousness of its purpose was slowly being starved to death through neglect.    

Sydney was both cheered and alarmed by the understated changes wrought by Parker's tenure.  He believed that he had been given the opportunity of witnessing what had finally become of Catherine's daughter, the true stuff she was made of and he for one was proud of her.  His pride was easily hidden by his fear.  When Raines returned, Sydney worried about a possible power struggle.  Miss Parker had managed in one month what Raines had been incapable of doing, in several. 

Sydney was just about to knock on Miss Parker's door when a smug looking Broots showed up.  Broots was happier now than he had been in several months.  Returning Broots' smile Sydney asked, "So how are things Broots, I haven't seen you for almost a week now."

"Sorry it's been so long but Miss P has been keeping me busy Syd.  Things are great with me, I'd forgotten how much easier life can be when you're teacher's pet," Broots stated with a happy grin.  "How about you, Sydney?"

Chuckling softly at Broots' reference to teacher's pet, Sydney answered, "Yes, everything is going very well.  Since Parker has been in charge working here isn't such a chore.  She doesn't have a great need to know every small detail of what I'm doing."

Both men entered the office after they gave a perfunctory knock on the door.  Looking up from her computer screen, Parker spotted her colleagues and returned her attention to the computer monitor.  

"Miss Parker, I have the financial reports the Triumvirate asked for, I thought you would like to take a quick peek before I send them over."  Broots said while trying to steal a less than surreptitious glance at whatever had seized her attention.

Without turning around, Parker's arm reached back for the reports.  Broots placed them in her outstretched hand, mildly disappointed that he couldn't get a better look at her screen.  She continued reading for another few seconds then shut down the computer completely. 

"Try being a little more subtle the next time you attempt to read over my shoulder, Broots," she said acerbically.  Turning to Sydney she asked, "Were you looking for me?"  

"Yes, Miss Parker, I believe the final results are ready for your review,"  Sydney replied impassively.  

"Great, let's go then Freud, time's a wasting," she replied. 

Entering the simlab on sublevel 17, Sydney and Parker looked around and spotted the pretender standing patiently in a darkened corner.  The report they were interested in was laying in plain view on the table that sat in the middle of the room.  Sparing a glance at the pretender, Parker walked over and peered at the pages without touching them.

"I'm finished with my report.  Don't worry, it won't bite," stated a tired female voice. 

"Yeah, that's what you think," Parker responded mordantly.  

Sydney stared at the pretender as she slowly advanced further into the room.  The pretender Norah was slight, with the unnaturally white complexion of a person who never saw the light of day.  Her light brown hair reached her shoulders giving the appearance of a blunt cut.  Her tawny eyes had a slightly crazed expression which gave weight to the unsubstantiated rumors that she possessed slight psychic abilities.  

When Norah sat at the table, Parker picked up the report and began scanning the pages.  Without removing her eyes from the document she said, "Give me the condensed, layman's version."  

"The other pretender who came up with the isolation process is brilliant, unfortunately if the company follows his recommendations, they will have a choice to make."  Norah said in an almost bored voice.  

"What kind of choice," Sydney asked as he took the report Parker was handing to him.

"If there are any deviations in the process, the result would produce a narcotic that is particularly nasty."  Norah responded interested to see what they would say. 

The room was quiet while Sydney read and Parker openly regarded the pretender whom she just added to her team. 

"This is serious Parker, according to Norah's findings with only a slight alteration in the extraction process this plant's components could produce a narcotic 10 times more addictive than heroin and its overall effects on the human body would be devastating," Sydney said in awe.

"What about psychological effects?"  Parker asked with sudden concern.  

"The psychological effects would render any subject exposed to the agent extremely suggestible within 5 hours of introduction.  The time frame of suggestibility would be short term but it would override normal psychological barriers, barriers that even hypnosis couldn't breach," Norah stated still attentively watching the reactions of the other two.  

"I'll let the other pretender know about this.  Perhaps he can rethink the entire process and circumvent this side effect."

"I don't believe there is any other way to safely isolate the necessary components," answered Norah.  She was curious about Parker's reaction it wasn't what she expected.

"Well, I'll tell him you said so and we'll see if he will be able to rise to your challenge."  Parker said with confidence, but she was worried if Bryan would be able to come up with an alternative.

"Parker, you can't let the Triumvirate get its hands on this information.  You know what will happen," Sydney said when they left the simlab. 

"And you don't think they already know this?  I would be surprised if they didn't have a genius of their own who could at least predict some of what we've just found out."

"What are you going to do?" 

"I don't know for sure but right now I need to talk to a certain pretender," she said grimly as she headed for Bryan's new rooms.

After informing Bryan of the evaluating pretender's findings, she stood and watched him shake his head emphatically.  They were standing in the comfortably appointed room that used to belong to Jarod.  The furnishings had been changed but it still held the air of a tasteful egghead's digs.

"No, no I did the research on this.  The plant in question is fairly common but almost all the components that make up the necessary catalysts used in the extraction process are rare.  This drug will be extremely expensive to produce.  The main thing is that the narcotic derivative would be prohibitively expensive.  There are numerous and cheaper drugs already developed that would have similar and less devastating effects."

"I should have read your report more thoroughly, I wonder why the evaluator didn't bring up the points you've just raised," Parker asked rhetorically.  She was staring into space, listening to the voices in her head again.  "_Listen to your heart"_

"My guess is that the evaluator is testing you," he said.  When he saw that his comment refocused her attention entirely on him, he continued, "The evaluator has a thankless job.  They don't come up with anything new, they just punch holes in other people's work." 

Easily catching his train of thought Parker nodded her agreement.  "I think I will look into finding someone new to evaluate your data.  I don't like being played," she said giving him a wry twist of the lips that simulated a smile. Bryan watched her leave concerned and a little angry that someone would try to insinuate that any of his sims were unreliable.  Parker had managed to secure his loyalty and he was careful to retain her positive regard for him.  

Two days after Norah had submitted her report, she received the visitor she had been expecting.  She had been mildly surprised by Chairwoman Parker's reaction to her findings.  She had thought the woman would be pleased at the potentially nasty side affects of the extraction process.  Hearing the tale-tell sounds of high heels clicking sharply in the hallway, Norah felt confident that she could handle the volatile woman.

Parker entered the simlab where Norah was brought to await her arrival.  When the door opened, Norah rose from her seat to greet her guest.  Parker believed that she had given herself sufficient time to cool off from the affront of Norah's little game.  The startled and apprehensive look that crossed Norah's face told her otherwise.  The pretender took one look into Parker's eyes and instinctively began to move away from her. 

"I don't like games and I like being lied to even less," Parker stated in a low voice.

"I gave you what I thought you wanted, I thought you would be pleased," Norah said in a small voice as she glanced up at the decidedly unhappy Parker.  The woman's eyes were almost black with anger and Norah's heart felt like it had sunk to the floor. 

"Guess again.  I don't have a large pool of pretenders to choose from but if I did you would be gone in a second.  Unfortunately for me, the skills I need from you demand a certain turn of mind.  Screw me like that again and you will be locked up in sl-25 for so long you'll think a light bulb is natural sunlight," Parker replied still seething.  "What I want from you are legitimate, complete evaluations, not your ideas on what you think I might want.  No more games and no more lies, save that crap for Mr. Raines when he returns."

Perceiving a flux of emotions from Parker, Norah decided to take a chance.  "Most of my findings are desired because the creative pretenders are always positive and try to make things work beneficently.  I'm often used to find a way to corrupt their data and transform it into the purpose the buyers actually want.  I'm sorry I've displeased you, that was not my intent."  Norah said with her head down.  The limited input she was receiving from her psychic abilities was encouraging and she cursed herself for not opening her perceptions the first time she met Parker.  The Chairwoman was conflicted, she didn't like what she was being forced to do.  "I will not make this mistake again," Norah said with surprising forcefulness.

Parker was still angry at Norah's lies, but she believed the girl and decided to leave her alone.  Punishing her would be petty and that was still on a level lower than Parker was willing to stoop.  With one last penetrating glare at the wayward pretender, Parker left the room.  Norah released a sigh of relief; she hadn't been prepared for Parker's lack of corruption and greed.  Norah was curious about her own lack of resentment and emerging feelings of kinship with the angry woman and immediately started to reevaluate her assumptions about the acting chairman.

****1 week later****

_Parker residence _

_Blue Cove, DE _

Another hard day at the office and all Parker could think about was a long hot bath and a warm cup of herbal tea.  She was again trying to cut back on the amount of alcohol she drank.  Too keyed up to loiter in the bath, Parker slipped on her pajamas and padded her way into the kitchen.  Filling the kettle with water she put it on the stovetop to heat.

"You know you should really eat something.  I bet you skipped lunch and dried toast is hardly what I would call a hearty breakfast," Jarod said with a touch of concern.

Throwing her head back, she closed her eyes and looking back down at her empty mug she remained silent.  She was again torn between being angry at his sudden proprietary anxiety and her unconcern at his unexpected appearance. 

Sensing her inner turmoil, Jarod continued, "I took the liberty of restocking your refrigerator.  It was barren in there, I'm sure you will be able to find something to your liking now."

Parker turned to look at him, then moved to the fridge and opening it, saw it was jammed full of fresh fruits, vegetables and the usual necessities.  Relaxing her taut posture she silently laughed and shook her head.  Genius-boy was worried that his personal nemesis wasn't taking proper care of herself. 

Shifting the items around to take stock of what he had brought, she found her favorite cheese squeezed between a package of luncheon meat and a green head of lettuce.  Looking around she found a loaf of uncut French bread and proceeded to make a sandwich.  She made the sandwich very large and cutting it in half she brought down two plates and placed a half on each.  She sat one of the sandwiches in front of Jarod and completed the meal with a tall glass of milk.  They sat in companionable silence and enjoyed a second meal together.  She cleaned up the evidence of their dinner when they finished and refreshing her mug of tea, she led the way into the living room.

Jarod sat next to her on the sofa and they chatted easily for a few hours as though they hadn't been enemies for the past 5 years.  During a lull in the conversation, they found themselves staring at each other.  They were quiet for a few more seconds when by tacit agreement they leaned toward each other and kissed, this time without any interruptions.  The kiss was more of a soft, tentative caress but grew bolder as though they were testing the new boundaries.  They continued each surprised by the reaction of the other until they found themselves groping with increasing passion and half undressed.  She broke away from his embrace gently and stared into his eyes for a long moment then taking him by the hand she led him to her bedroom.

A half hour later they were lying next to each other, both vaguely dissatisfied.  It seemed they were better friends than lovers.  Parker looked over at Jarod for a few seconds before rising and walking into the bathroom.  Jarod listened to the water in the shower as he stretched his whole length more comfortably in the bed.  He wanted her for a lover and not only as a friend.  The fact that he was lying here without a bullet hole in his head was evidence that she too was tired of being alone.  He spent the time she took showering to consider what he should do next. 

When she came out of the bathroom, she looked up to find Jarod still lying in her bed, looking for all the world like he belonged there.  "Jarod, this obviously isn't going to work.  In a way I'm glad this happened."

Smiling softly at his astonished expression she continued, "I don't want to be the one responsible for causing a rift between you and your girlfriend.  I was experiencing another moment of weakness when I allowed this to happen and we both know that at the very most anything between us would be temporary." 

"Let me worry about my relationships.  I wanted this as much as you, only I'm not glad we didn't enjoy your 'moment of weakness' more."  Smiling consciously he asked, "Would you mind if I sacked out here for the night?  I promise to keep my hands to myself."

Wondering why he didn't just claim the guest bedroom, she shrugged and said, "Yeah, sure."  She knew why she didn't just kick him out, she was still feeling a bit vulnerable and didn't mind having him next to her for the night.  Opening her robe to reveal a black silk pajama short set, she climbed into bed again and immediately fell into a heavy slumber.

It was 5 o'clock in the morning when Jarod woke to feel a warm body burrowed in the sheets next to him.  One of her arms was thrown carelessly across his body and his arm was pinned under her head.  Looking down at her mass of fragrant, thick dark hair, he smiled at his oldest friend.  She was finally completely relaxed and comfortable.  The tension her situation at the Centre caused was temporarily abated.  He gently brushed the curtain of hair from her face and leaning over kissed her sleep-warmed cheek.  When she didn't stir he moved down to her lips and continued softly kissing her as she began to wake up.  Jarod broadened his ministrations, gently caressing and kissing her all over.  She slowly responded in kind and this time the result was entirely different.

Several minutes afterward she reached over to him and began caressing his chest.  Taking this as a sign that she wanted him again, he looked over at her and smiled.  She leaned over him and kissing his lips, she said into his mouth.  "Post-coital attention only." 

They enjoyed each other for another half hour taking their time and discovering a mutual reluctance for their time together to end.  When she finally rose to take a shower, he followed her.  They stayed in the shower until the water began to run cold forcing them out and continued making love in the bathroom. 

It was after 8 o'clock when Parker had finished dressing for work.  She avoided his appraising gaze and when she had at last put the finishing touches on her makeup she picked up her briefcase and without looking at him said, "we need to talk about this.  If you can be here when I get home tonight, I would appreciate it."  She then left quickly as though afraid he might say or do something that would encourage her to stay.


	3. Promote at your own risk - Chapter III

**_Disclaimer: _**_  See Chapter I for disclaimer and author's note._

**Promote at your own risk**

**Chapter III**

**By Callisto**

Arriving at her office a little later than usual, Parker was greeted by a growing stack of files and phone messages that demanded her immediate attention.  She shook her head trying to clear from her mind the images of a few hours earlier.  Her emotions were increasingly betraying her and she was having difficulty keeping them at bay.  It had been too long since someone cared about her the way she always secretly craved.  The look in Jarod's eyes told her that she just hit the jackpot.  Before she could start daydreaming about him, her office phone started to ring.  Snatching it up hoping for a distraction from her erotic thoughts she was greeted by a voice she had learned to dread. 

"Miss Parker, I am glad that I have finally had a chance to talk with you.  It would seem that your newly minted duties are keeping you quite busy, as well as unavailable," Mountesi said in his accented voice.  

"Is there a problem, sir?" she asked keeping her voice impassive.  

"Fortunately, not.  I am glad to see that you have decided to explore the opportunities of a project in which we are particularly interested.  I take it that the project proved to be lucrative?" 

"As a matter of fact, yes.  Next month's financial reports will reflect that the revenue was quite substantial."

"Excellent, it would seem however that you are nearing the goal set for you very slowly.  I sincerely hope that you have some other projects waiting eagerly in the wings," he said with the usual menace creeping more forcibly into his voice.

"Of course, sir.  I will continue to do my best until we reach your deadline.  I cannot insure that I will be able to continue to devote my full attention to your project once Mr. Raines returns.  As I told you before, he has other plans for my time and attention," she said innocently.  She was curious to see how he intended on handling Raines and his expected jealousy.

"Mr. Raines will be an obstacle that you will have to learn to work around.  Judging from your past experiences with him, I do not see that as a problem."  

"Raines would like nothing better than an excuse to thwart anything constructive that I might do.  If you want results than you will have to do something about him," Parker said shrewdly.

Soft, amusing laughter floated through the connection.  "What is it that you would like me to do with Mr. Raines?

"Keep him off my back until the deadline rolls around.  Then if you're not satisfied with my performance, I'm sure you will unleash your pet hound." 

"Very well, Miss Parker, I will see what I can do in that area.  And Miss Parker, please do not disappoint me." 

She expected the dial tone, but instead there was only silence at the other end.  She let the silence stretch on for a few more seconds before responding.  

"I aim to please, Mr. Mountesi," she said with solemnity, then hung up.        

Walking into the simlab on sublevel 17, Parker approached the table at which Norah was sitting.  The pretender's baggy clothing hung on her slim frame, and she still wore a contrite expression on her face.

"I have a proposition for you," Parker said as she stared at the younger woman.

"For me?" she asked as a flood of emotions flittered across her face.  Catching herself, Norah said stoically, "I will do whatever I can to be of assistance." 

"I'm going to take a chance with you, God knows why, and tell you the truth," Parker said grimly.  When Norah remained still, giving Parker all her attention she continued, "I'm in a bit of a bind and I need to expand my project base.  What I want is for you to come up with constructive simulations for some projects that need resolution.  I know that you're primarily used as an evaluator, but from our last conversation it sounded like you're tired of that.  I'm willing to see what you can do, instead of bringing another pretender onto my team."

Norah's face brightened measurably.  She had been eager for an opportunity like this, her psychologist had always told her that her talents as an evaluator were more important than the other pretenders and refused to let her even try to use her gift differently.  Her hopeful expression was her answer. 

Nodding thoughtfully at Norah's expression, Parker took it as a positive sign and threw a thick folder onto the table that had the corporation's logo embossed across the front. 

"That represents a fairly straightforward but extremely difficult problem that our client needs to have solved.  Do your best and we will have another talk, being on my team has certain fringe benefits."  Giving Norah her best predatory smile Parker left the room.

Outside the simlab, Parker ran into Sydney who was waiting for her.  Sydney looked at Parker speculatively; she had followed his directions to the letter in how to approach Norah.     

"I won't bother to point out that this course of action flies in the face of established practices.  You have already proven that your instincts are quite remarkable.  What are you hoping to accomplish if I may be so bold, madam Chairwoman?" he asked with a smile.

"The Triumvirate has me in a vice grip.  I need to bring in more revenue just to survive this roller coaster ride from hell.  The more money these sims bring in the more wriggle room I win for myself.  At least the pretenders get the benefit of enjoying vitamin D the natural way instead of by supplement."

"What about Raines?  Do they plan on keeping him at bay until they're finished putting you through your paces?"

"I asked that this morning, actually I insisted on it.  We'll see how well they listen.  Wish me luck Syd, I think I'm going to need it," she said morosely.  She exited the elevator and suddenly turned around to look at Sydney, placing her hand against the rubber safety panel forcing the doors to remain open.  "Thanks for caring, Sydney.  It helps more than I can say," she said quietly and dropping her hand she allowed the doors to close on his pleased expression.          

Entering her office she found someone lounging in one of her guest chairs.  When she approached her desk, the man turned around.  Lyle looked tanned and relaxed as he gave his twin a penetrating stare.

"While the cat's away the intrepid mouse will play.  What do you think you're doing, you are skating on thin ice with Raines as it is," Lyle said with a small, devious smile.

"You look good for once Lyle.  I see you've been enjoying Uncle Fester's reward for returning his thumb," Parker responded acerbically as she took her seat. 

"Answer the question," he demanded.  When his sister leaned back in her seat and gave no indication that she was interested in answering him, he said, "I received an alarming report from one of my sources that you had taken over the Centre and the rest of the mice were happy with your leadership." 

"And that rumor caused you to hop on the jet, spend most of the day traveling back to the old homestead, just to warn your one remaining family member that she was in danger?  How touching, never will believe that you care," she said with taunting sarcasm.

"That's just the point, you are my last remaining family member, except for Raines and I really don't want to see you get hurt by him," Lyle responded unconvincingly.

Releasing a deep sigh, Parker stared at Lyle unhappily.  "I'm only filling in until Fester decides to return to the house of horrors.  When he gets back than I will happily return the seedy reins of power over to him.  Pun intended."

"That might not be enough, what about the Triumvirate do they know that you're in charge now?"  Lyle asked trying to gauge if his sister completely understood the ramifications of what she had accomplished.  His contact had told him that during her short tenure, sick leave had plummeted and productivity was reaching new highs. 

"Yes, they are very much aware.  Seems they were none too fond of Craigon's strange habit of coming in for a couple hours then taking the rest of the month off." 

"By the way where is Craigon?  What have you done with him?  I would have expected him to go running to Raines crying that you took away his new toy," Lyle said with amusement. 

"I have no idea, he just disappeared.  I sent some sweepers to his apartment but no one has seen him.  Since then I haven't wasted much time wondering about his whereabouts.    I'm sure the second Raines returns, creepy Craigon will slither in just like his master," Parker said dismissively.

"Well, I think I will hang around for another week or two, just to watch the fireworks.  Don't get too comfortable Sis, your time in the Chairman's seat may be coming to an end sooner than you realize."

"Hummm, my day wouldn't have been complete without a veiled threat from you.  Sorry to disappoint your ambitions, jumping from Raines' star onto mine isn't a good bet.  I'm serious about returning the Chairman's mantel to Raines.  Especially after the good look I got at what this place and position did to Da--, our supposed father," Parker said almost sadly.  

Sparing her one last look, Lyle left her office.  He wasn't so sure that switching teams was a bad idea.  He wanted to hang around and get a look at the way she was handling herself up close before coming to any conclusions.  He smiled to himself as he walked over to his own office.  He could see himself helping his sister behind the scenes wrest power from Raines, then turning the tables on her so he would be in a position to become the only viable candidate for Chairman. 

Parker was pleased when she received the call from Sydney that Bryan had already finished the sim that she had given him a few weeks ago after the drug company project.  She quickly set up a meeting with her next client and after signing off on the reports Broots handed her with a reminder from him that it was after 6 o'clock, Parker decided to leave for the night.  She wanted to avoid any more encounters with her evil, scheming twin. 

_Parker Residence _

_Blue Cove, DE  _

When she walked up to her front door, she belatedly remembered asking Jarod to be there when she got home.  Her heart sank a few meters at the thought of breaking off from the one healthy personal relationship she managed to start since Tommy.  She reminded herself that hanging on to him wasn't fair when he told her up front that he was involved with someone else.  Walking all the way inside the living room, she looked around and didn't see any sign of the Pretender.  Parker sat her briefcase on the living room table and wandered around the house looking for Jarod.  When she realized that she was alone, she heaved a sigh of relief, she wasn't sure if she was ready to talk with him anyway. 

After relaxing in a leisurely bath, Parker entered her kitchen for a cup of herbal tea.  What she found there was a steaming cup already prepared and a grinning Jarod waiting for her as he tilted the kitchen chair he was sitting in to a perilous angle. 

"How long have you been here?" she asked curiously.      

"Only a few minutes.  I was tempted to join you in the bath, but I didn't want to seem greedy," he said giving her a leer. 

Trying to suppress an answering grin, she looked at the tea he prepared and sipped at it hesitantly.  When she judged the liquid still a bit too hot, she wrapped her hands around the comforting warmth of the cup, and considered a way to broach the subject she needed to discuss. 

"How are things for you at the insane asylum?  Is the Triumvirate still pressuring you?" he asked considerately.  

"Pressure is the only thing they know how to do.  I asked Mountesi to keep Raines off my back when he returns but I'm not too confident in getting much help from him.  So when Raines returns I will probably resume my fruitless search for you," she said.  Then seizing the opportunity she continued, "Speaking of which, I don't think it would be a good idea for us to continue."  She looked up into Jarod's eyes, hoping he wouldn't force her to be more explicit.  

"Why?  I thought what happened between us this morning was wonderful.  Your reaction gave me reason to believe that you felt the same.  We care about each other, we know each other better than anyone else in our lives, give our relationship at least a chance," Jarod asked sincerely.

"You have someone else, I asked about your life so I could hear something positive.  The last thing I want to do is ruin this for you.  I think I've been responsible for ruining enough of your life," she said forcibly.  

Smiling sadly at her, Jarod shifted his weight, righting his chair and locking his gaze onto hers he responded, "you are so tied up, so blinded by what they want you to see that you don't even recognize yourself any longer.  Who do you think I was talking about when I described my 'girlfriend' to you?"  Seeing the blank look on her face he said, "You idiot, I was talking about you the whole time.  I caught a few glimpses of my old friend when we were on Carthis together.  You're the one I want, that night in front of the fire at Ocee's was the first time I ever entertained the thought that I just might have a chance with you."

Avoiding his gaze she looked into the depths of her cup.  Her mind replayed the comments he made about his girlfriend and she was a little surprised by the strength of his feelings for her.  She almost laughed aloud at herself because she had been making futile attempts to control her own feelings about him.  Finally raising her head and looking into his eyes she said, "You should have joined me in the bath.  There's no way I would have kicked you out," she said giving him a knowing smile. 

Returning her conspiratorial grin he asked, "did you use all the hot water?"                         

_The Centre_

_Blue Cove, DE_

Two weeks had passed since Lyle had unexpectedly returned from the 'symposium'.  Watching his sister at work from the background, he was as impressed as the rest of the masses that worked for the Centre.  She was actually getting the job done with a minimum of fuss and threats.  Lyle sulked with angry resentment because the minions and their lackeys never snapped to the job at hand for him as they did so eagerly for her.  Jealousy and his never tiring ambition to return to his former glory inspired him to form then refine a slowly evolving plan to first help his sibling then strip her of the chairmanship before she knew what hit her.  Smiling at his intent, Lyle rose from his office couch and made plans for a romantic dinner with his latest Asian beauty.

Parker brokered two lucrative deals with her clients.  Working feverishly, she had just barely passed the halfway mark to her goal but knew with certainty that she would not be successful completing it in the end.  Norah at least, was now enjoying the unexpected benefits of being part of Parker's team.  Her latest sim was a bit rough around the edges and it had the unimaginative aspects of an evaluator but it worked, and worked well.  Parker smiled remembering the expression on Norah's face when the chill ocean breezes caressed her face for the first time.  Sydney had been correct that the girl possessed plenty of hidden talent.  Parker looked unhappily at the note in her hand; Raines was expected to return in a few days.  He too must have heard the rumors about her successful tenure as Chairman.  Dealing with Raines wasn't going to be a picnic, but she had resolved on not fighting with him over control of the Centre.  Parker resumed her seat at her desk and looked at the packet that Angelo helped her to prepare.  It contained two sets of ID for Broots and his daughter, Debbie.  The identities were clean and no one else would know who they were.  Parker knew the minute she succeeded in leaving unscathed they would use Broots and most likely his daughter as bait to lure her back.  She knew Sydney was in danger too, but realized he would never leave here knowing that Angelo had no one to look after him.  

Parker was certain Lyle was up to something and guessed that it probably involved using her to roust Raines from his unenviable roost.  She almost laughed at Lyle's transparent plans; after using her as a shill to usurp Raines he planned on getting rid of her.  'As if he could', she thought derisively.   Her inner sense voices were warning her to be careful and to watch for treachery.  'Curious, the minute I stumble into a relationship with Jarod they almost immediately stop chattering messages about listening to my heart.  Damn voices had turned into sneaky romantics.'   Refocusing her attention to her exit plans Parker forced the voices to fade into the background.     

Sydney was sitting in his office when he received an unexpected visitor:  Broots.  Sydney looked up at the younger man and smiled.  It had been a couple of weeks since he had seen the overworked tech.  'Well maybe not so overworked now that he was teacher's pet,' Sydney thought, which widened his smile.  

"Broots, how have you been doing?  What have you been up to lately?"

"Hi Sydney, I'm still helping Miss Parker. The Triumvirate has an insatiable appetite for reports on everything from productivity to the number of interoffice emails," he said shaking his head in disgust at the inanity of their requests.  "Syd, have you heard that Raines is expected to return in a few days?" asked the increasingly nervous man.  

"No I haven't heard anything but we all expected him to return, he had to at some point," said Sydney with gentle amusement.

"I'm a little worried about Miss Parker, you know, her situation.  Rumor has it that a power struggle is expected and Mr. Lyle is practically selling tickets." 

"Parker knows how to take care of herself, she's done a good job so far." 

"Did she tell you that she plans on handing everything back over to Raines?  There's no way he's going to just smile and say 'Thanks'.  She's just proven that she's a better chairman then he ever could hope to be." 

"Yes, she did tell me.  She expects for us to return to our regular duties of searching for Jarod.  There isn't much for Raines to do, especially since Parker was acting on orders directly from the Triumvirate," Sydney said logically, hiding his worry.  He agreed with Broots that Raines wouldn't lightly take the affront of Parker replacing Craigon, especially when it was obvious that the man intended on slighting Parker.  

"We have to do something to help her, Sydney.  She can't stay here, if she does we both know what will happen," Broots said finally voicing the basis of his fear.  He knew that when her father had been alive, Parker enjoyed a measure of autonomy.  Now things were different and there was no one to protect her from Raines' wrath. 

"You're right Broots.  Unfortunately we're just as powerless as she is.  Anything less than removing her completely and permanently from the Centre would be useless," Sydney stated with a furrowed brow. 

"If only we could come up with a plan, you know like a simulation that would work like one of Jarod's pretends.  That's the only thing I could think of that would help.  Do you think perhaps Jarod could be enlisted to help us?  I know they have a lot of history between them but so far Jarod hasn't turned down anyone who really needs help, even us," Broots asked earnestly.  He was sure if anyone could convince Jarod to help Miss Parker it would be Sydney.  

Looking up at his friend, Sydney was impressed with Broots' suggestion.  It was a stroke of genius and he wondered why he hadn't thought of this before.  "Broots, that's a brilliant idea, let me give this some thought, I don't know how long it will be until I hear from Jarod again."  

"Just don't wait too long Sydney, I'm afraid time is running out for Miss P," Broots said as he walked worriedly out of Sydney's office.   He was sure the psychiatrist had a way of contacting the Pretender. 

Sydney sat back in his chair and smiled at Broots' back.  The man's concern over his boss was touching; it was obvious that he still carried a bit of a torch for Miss Parker.  Sydney was drafting the email in his head that he planned on sending Jarod when his eyes settled on the papers he had been reviewing when Broots interrupted him.  They were progress reports on Bryan and Norah; both pretenders had been given a short break before resuming their schedule of simulations and evaluations. 

A cunning smile graced Sydney's face as a modification to Broots' plan surfaced.  Both pretenders owed a great deal to Parker.  Without her insistence, they would never have been allowed outside the compound to see the sun for the first time since they were toddlers.  Sydney would present them with the problem and swear them both to secrecy, not even Parker would be privy to this simulation.  Bryan will be charged with coming up with a plan to get her out of the Centre free and clear and Norah will be given the arduous task of finding possible flaws and fixing any that came up.  

After finishing up on some of the smaller details of her own exit plan, Parker packed up her briefcase and left for the day.  She hadn't seen Jarod for over a week, she hated to admit it to herself but she was starting to miss him—a lot.  She realized that she was falling in love with him, but that was something she was determined to keep to herself.  The last thing she wanted to do was to let that tidbit slip and scare the poor man senseless and expose her own vulnerability.   Still she didn't want to face the empty house again waiting in vain for him to show up, besides that wasn't her style.  

Smiling defiantly, she turned her convertible in the direction of the Centre satellite lab.  She wanted to see Ian again, she long ago given up on the idea that the child was her brother even before she found out about her father's impotence.  Ian was thrilled at seeing her again so soon after her last visit.  He normally didn't see her more than twice a month but recently he had been getting more frequent visits.  Parker dismissed the nanny, telling the woman to go home early and that she would see to Ian's bath and bedtime rituals.  Besides Mr. Raines' frequent calls concerning the boy's progress, Parker was the only one who took an interest and actually showed up in person.  Nodding eagerly, the nanny left quickly before Parker could change her mind.

After bathing the child, she settled him down in his large bedroom that had windows which overlooked a small but verdant courtyard.  His bedroom was adorned with a few toys and child sized furniture.  Most of the toys were instructional except for the few she managed to sneak in for the boy's enjoyment.  Dressed in his cartoon character covered pajamas, another item she snuck in, Ian snuggled under the comforter clutching a stuffed lion to his small chest. 

"What story would you like to hear tonight?" she asked gently, smiling into his hazel eyes. 

"I don't care.  I just want you to stay with me until I go to sleep."  His eyelids were growing heavy as he spoke.

She started reciting a story she had read with her mother when she was a child.  After only a few sentences she noticed that he was fast asleep.  She tucked the comforter more securely around him and thought again about her empty house.  Looking at the comfortable Ian, she made a sudden decision.  Kicking her heels off, she removed her skirt and shirt and rummaging through his bottom dresser drawer, she found the oversized t-shirt and shorts that she had left there months ago.  Turning off the lights she put on the clothing and gingerly climbed into the twin bed with Ian.  She was asleep within minutes and was unaware that Ian momentarily awakened by being pushed near the edge of the mattress, contentedly laid halfway on top of her and quickly fell asleep again.        

The morning's light filtered brightly through the thin curtains.  One particular shaft of light was shining directly in her face.  Turning her head was useless it was as if she alone had been caught in its personal glare.  Raising her hand to shield her eyes she was relieved from the headache inducing intensity.   Temporarily disorientated she centered herself and calmed her thoughts until she recalled that she had spent the night with Ian.  Feeling a pair of eyes on her she looked down at her stomach and found Ian staring at her almost unblinkingly.  She took a deep breath, and then stretched her body relieving the cramps caused by sleeping in such a restricted space. 

"Good morning," she said hoarsely.

"Morning," Ian replied softly.  

"How would you like to spend the day together?"  She needed his cooperation if she was going to run thru the test of her plan.  

"Not here?" the child asked with mild trepidation.  He had never been taken away from the facility before.  

"Yes, I want to take you to breakfast, then do some shopping.  We'll have a great time just hanging out together," she said with quiet enthusiasm, trying to persuade him.

"Okay, when do we go?" he responded with a wide smile.  

When Ian was finally ready, and she was dressed again in her carefully laid out work clothes, she easily lifted the boy and looking him in the eyes said, "now we're going to simply walk out of the building.  I need to talk to the guards stationed near the front entrance.  No squealing or squirming, we'll get outside and into the car soon enough."  She spoke slowly making sure he understood everything she was saying.  

Ian excitedly nodded his head in assent failing to control the grin of excitement that was plastered on his face.  Gently kissing his cheek, she left his room.  Once they stepped off the elevator, Parker lightly tightened her grip on Ian and walked purposely up to the guard station.  The two guards station there looked up in surprise. Before they could say anything she said in a stern voice.  "I'm taking him out for a few hours, here's my cell phone number if anything happens or if anyone should show up looking for him.  Tell his caretakers that I will be tending to his needs until tomorrow morning."  Handing them the small piece of paper on which she wrote the phone number, her tone invited neither questions nor challenges.  They knew she was the acting Chairman and both men nodded mutely and watched as their boss waltzed out of the facility with the Centre's latest pretender project. 

Both had vastly enjoyed their day.  It was the first time Ian had spent any time outside the facility and Parker surprised herself by thoroughly enjoying the toddler's company and his wide-eyed wonder of the world at large.  She felt as the day drew to a close that her instincts were correct and she was determined to include the child in her exit plan.  She returned an utterly exhausted and sleepy Ian to the facility.  She noticed the relieved looks that passed between the guards when she returned and haughtily marched passed them as she made her way to Ian's bedroom.  She woke the child long enough to bathe and dress him in his favorite pajamas and tucked him into bed.  She removed the clothing she had used to sleep in and stuffed them in her large bag.  At the door she paused for a second to recheck making sure she left no evidence of her sleepover and subsequent field trip behind.  She made a quiet exit smiling at Ian's sleeping form.  

Once home, Parker unpacked the clothing she brought for Ian.  In one of the stores she switched bags so the toddler's clothing was now contained in bags that sported the logos of the exclusive shops she usually patronized.  She did this for the prying eyes she knew where photographing almost everything she did.  How Jarod got passed them undetected was still a mystery.  Thinking about her current lover, Parker shook her head and chastised herself for the thousandth time for allowing the situation between them to develop.

She placed the bags on her living room table and walked back to close and lock the back door.  She was squatting down, rummaging in the back of her bedroom closet when she heard the noise.  Instantly, she froze and listened more intently.  She felt his presence and turned halfway around to face him.  He was standing behind her, dressed in his usual dark clothing.  Choosing that moment to look at him objectively, she silently acknowledged to herself that she found him immensely attractive; his body was slender and obviously well muscled.  His dark hair was cut short, especially at the back of his head, in a much different style than the way he wore it when she found him on Carthis and his dark intelligent eyes watched her every move and expression carefully.

"Hi, how long have you been here?  I never hear you come in," she asked as she stood up, seemingly unaware of the large backpack in her grip.  

Still staring at her intently, he closed the gap between them and brushed the back of his fingers in a gentle caress across her cheek.  He tilted his head to one side and kissed her slowly and lingeringly.  By the time he broke off the kiss she had her arms wrapped around his waist and was having trouble controlling her growing passion.  

"I missed you," he said huskily and moved towards her again for another kiss.  She pulled away slightly stopping him.  She threw the backpack on the foot of the bed and turning to look in his eyes she met his lips and kissed him fully.

After a couple long minutes when they mutually broke the kiss, she stepped away from him and with an amused smile replied, "looks like it's just been established that we missed each other.  What have you been up to?" 

"Making some preliminary preparations for a sim I thought up.  Where have you been?"   His eyes took an almost hungry assessment of her figure and settled on her profile.  

"I was busy setting up the beginnings of a pattern for some guards, part of a plan that I have in mind," she replied absently with her back to him.  Holding up the backpack she looked at it critically trying to gauge its capacity.  "Are you hungry?  If you brought groceries with you, I'll make dinner." 

Smiling at her back he leered at her as he thought about what it was he was hungry for, instead of voicing that thought he answered, "Of course I brought groceries, your fridge is always woefully barren but I also ordered a pizza when I saw you pull up—pepperoni with bell peppers, your favorite I believe."

"Yeah, when I was in college.  How about you eat the pizza and I fix something light for myself?" As she left the room with the backpack in hand, Jarod followed her into the living room and watched with growing interest as she began to remove clothing from the ritzy bags.  When she started to fill the backpack, Jarod sat next to her and pulled a tiny shirt from a bag.  He held the shirt up at arms length and looked at her incredulously.  

She saw his expression and raised an eyebrow.  Removing the shirt from his fingers, she folded it and placed it inside the commodious backpack.  'Either he's looking exceptionally handsome today or I'm just horny,' she thought as she got up from her seat and walked into the kitchen.  He followed her and leaning against the countertop he watched as she started to fix a salad from the groceries he had brought with him.  The doorbell rang and she answered it, accepting the pizza Jarod brought and tipping the delivery kid appropriately.  They talked intermittently on unrelated subjects while they ate and when finished Jarod cleaned up the dishes they used.

Parker had returned to the living room and quickly removing plastic store tags she placed all the child's clothing in the pack with plenty of room to spare and zipped the backpack closed.  When she was done, she lifted the pack and turned around to return it to back of the bedroom closet.  Jarod was staring at her, patiently waiting for an explanation. 

"Later, come on," she said invitingly.  She had had enough of their polite conversation and was determined to get a different kind of attention from him before the evening was out.    

He woke slowly, their limbs were no longer entwined but he could still feel her next to him.  From the steadiness of her breathing, he knew she was asleep and he remained quiet for a few minutes longer savoring his temporary satiety.  He continued to be amazed by their growing closeness.  Expecting at any moment for her to completely break off the relationship, she surprised him by doing her part to keep it alive and thriving.  Other ideas were forming in his mind as he reached the conclusion that she wasn't toying with him and instead was developing an emotional attachment.  

Looking at the bedside clock he confirmed that he had been asleep for only 45 minutes.  He gently touched her waist and trailed his fingers along her back until they reached her hair.  Gently picking up a handful of her hair he brushed it aside, dislodging it and exposing her neck.  Her soft moan of appreciation followed as he lightly kissed her.

_The Centre_

_Blue Cove, DE_  

Spending the rest of the weekend in complete and thorough erotic enjoyment helped to shore up her emotions for what she knew would be waiting for her at the office.  She arrived early after deftly avoiding Jarod's attempts to extend their weekend activities.  Today was the expected return of Mr. Raines.  The lobby was unnaturally quiet; the Centre seemed to be automatically returning to its former depressive gloom in anticipation of his return.  She was glad that she hadn't even tried to move into the ghoul's office, his stench alone was enough to ward her off, and despite the convenience it would have afforded he would have taken it as a sign of an ambition she truly didn't feel.  Entering her office she released a breath, glad that she had made it this far without being accosted by anyone.  Pushing a few reports aside, she immediately set about clearing up the last details of her short tenure as Chairman.  

The next few hours passed almost uneventfully, there had been no summons and the earlier silence stretched on uncomfortably.  At the sound of the knock on her door, her hand clinched reflexively.  Willie, Raines' favorite sweeper, entered her office and finally gave the summons she had been awaiting. 

Following the sweeper, Parker kept her head held high ignoring the worried stares from some of her colleagues.  When she was finally standing before him it was everything she could do to keep her face impassive.  Raines was dressed expensively and conservatively.  His expression on the other hand was far from complacent.  His dead, reptilian eyes followed her every movement and he stared at her for a full 30 seconds without saying anything.  

She stood before him mute, having played this game over the phone with Mountesi gave her plenty of practice.  Finally Raines broke the silence, his raptor gaze fixated on her face. 

"I am disappointed to find that you are incapable of following even the simplest of instructions, Miss Parker."  

"That's something you'll have to take up with the Triumvirate, they were extremely unhappy with your temporary replacement and ordered me to take over and report to them.  If you like I will be more than happy to convey your disappointment to them."  

"The Triumvirate does not override my decisions.  Rest assured that you will be duly reprimanded and will come to understand that I am not someone who will tolerate your insolence and failures as my brother did."  Raines nodded to Willie who stepped forward, and before Parker could utter another word, she was shoved backward into a bookcase with enough force that a loud pop echoed in the room. 

Gritting her teeth and using a tremendous amount of effort to stifle any more sounds of pain than the initial outcry escaping from her, Parker looked at the sweeper with unveiled hatred.  Willie was shocked by the expression in her eyes but maintained his grip on her blazer.  It took only a few seconds for her to calm her breathing and force the pain from her mind.  Parker then stomped on the sweeper's foot with her 3" heel breaking his instep.  His cry of pain was stifled when she hit him forcefully in the throat with her good hand.  The sweeper crumpled to the floor unconscious.

"I take it that we're through for now.  I'll have my secretary deliver the rest of the reports I've prepared for you and resume my previous duties," she said tightly.  A fine sheen of sweat was on her brow but through sheer effort, she was able to refrain from allowing her voice shake or crack.  Without another word, she turned, stepped over the prone sweeper and left the chairman's office.                  

Returning to her office, she maintained an inscrutable demeanor.  Once inside the relative sanctuary, she started panting and slowly made her way to her desk .  Picking up the phone, she shakily dialed a four-digit extension with one hand and listened to the ringing on the other end.         

"Sydney, I need you to come to my office," she said in a low voice. 

"I'm on my way, Miss Parker."

Hanging up the phone, she bit down on her hand and took several deep breaths to control the pain.  Then turning her whole body she carefully walked over to her credenza and prepared a stiff drink, downing the aged scotch in one gulp.  She poured herself another drink and slowly without jostling her shoulder carefully leaned against the doorjamb of her private bathroom. 

A brief knock preceded Sydney's entrance and quickly glancing around he spotted Parker leaning against the far wall of her office, holding her left arm protectively against her body.  He approached her slightly puzzled by her posture until he saw her face clearly.  Sweat dampened her brow and when she looked up at him it was readily apparent that she was in considerable pain.  

"What's wrong?  What has happened?" he immediately inquired as he stood close to her still trying to gauge the source of her pain.

"My shoulder has been dislocated.  I need your help."  Her voice was shaking as she slowly started losing control of the pain.  

Nodding solemnly, Sydney placed his hands on her arm and lightly on her shoulder.  As she slowly managed to turn towards him to give him fuller access to her shoulder, she uttered a small sob of pain. 

"This is going to hurt like the devil," he said grimly.  At her curt nod he gently grasped her then quickly and efficiently popped her shoulder back into place.  He couldn't hear the satisfying pop as the bone was returned to the socket; her short cry of pain was too loud.  She slumped over in relief and Sydney guiding her to take a seat was obliged to maneuver her more comfortably into the couch. 

The room was quiet for a few seconds as Sydney watched her face anxiously.  Her head was thrown back against the cushions and her eyes were closed as she continued to breathe heavily.  Looking around the chicly sterile office his eyes fell on the full glass of scotch that waited on a side table.  He lightly touched her right hand and wrapped her fingers around the glass.  Lifting her head she took a deep drink of the alcohol. 

The two colleagues remained silent for a few more minutes.  Sydney could only wait anxiously to hear her explanation.  Grateful for his prompt response to her entreaty, she knew without looking at his face that he wanted to know how this happened.  

"All things considered, my first meeting with the Chairman went relatively well."  She tried to say this lightly but her voice had a weary quality that emphasized the irony.   

"My God, was it Raines that did this to you?" he asked loudly only slightly incredulous.  

"That dissipated old fossil isn't fool enough to tangle with me physically.  He had Willie shove me into a bookcase."

Unable to suppress a chuckle, Sydney replied, "Ah, so that's why Willie was being carried away on a stretcher."  

"If he crosses my path again, they'll need more than a stretcher to carry him away in," she said with barely concealed rage.      

"But what happened, where do you stand now?  I thought the Triumvirate was supposed to keep him off your back," Sydney said emphatically.

"Somehow I didn't count on it.  Looks like we're back on the Jarod pursuit and until I hear different that's what we're going to adhere to.  Suspend the forays outside for the pretenders, I'll go down and have a little chat with them as soon as the pain in my shoulder subsides a bit."

"Don't worry about that, I'll take care of it.  You need to rest for a while, I'll go over to the infirmary and get some painkillers for you."  He got up and left the office before she could form the thought to stop him. 

When Sydney returned to Parker's office a few minutes later, he found Broots and Lyle there also.  Broots was sitting worriedly next to Parker while her brother chose to stare at her speculatively from across the room, an involuntary expression of pique rested in his eyes.  Sydney took note of Lyle's expression and saying nothing approached Parker and handed her two mild codeine pills.  Before he could turn and retrieve a tumbler of water, Lyle sauntered up and handed her a glass. 

"Willie's not looking too good, right now.  The doctors say that he was almost killed by the blow to his neck, it's still touch and go," Lyle said dismissively.

"It's amazing what an emergency tracheotomy can do for a person," she replied acidly.  

"What happened?"  Lyle asked harshly.  

"Hey, that can wait.  Can't you see she's not up for any interrogations?"  Broots said, showing his rare streak of aggressive anger. 

Everyone in the room was shocked by his outburst but no one challenged him.  Sydney concealed a smile while Parker returned to sipping at the water handed to her.  Lyle gave Broots an incongruous smile that held more malice because it was completely out of place.  Broots swallowed nervously and returned his concerned gaze to his boss. 

Breaking the silence Parker obliquely answered her twin.  "Jarod's pursuit team has been recently reassembled.  Sorry little brother, looks like you're going to have to stick with Raines for a while longer."  

"I wouldn't count on it," he said cryptically.  His parting glance held an unreadable expression as he left the office.   

"Miss Parker, are you alright?  Is there anything I can get for you?" Broots asked still worried about the paleness of her features. 

"I'm fine Broots, thanks.  In the future, I would suggest that you get a little more control over that intrepid tiger inside of you.  It could get you in over your head with characters like Lyle," she said with a small smile as she quickly squeezed the hand that was resting on her forearm.   

A faint blush stained his cheeks as he averted his gaze and nodded shyly.  "Sorry, Miss Parker, it's just that he's so self-centered and inconsiderate."

"Let's get back to work, boys.  Jarod isn't going to return on his own and Genius-boy has had a few months respite from us." 

During her conversation with Broots, Sydney had disappeared into her restroom and reemerged carrying a large black cloth which he fashioned into a sling.  He approached Parker and she allowed him to put the apparatus on and carefully arrange it on her arm.  The relief was immediate and she released a sigh and smiled her gratitude.

Both men looked at her with concern and worry in their eyes and reluctantly left her to return to their fruitless pursuit of a man none of them thought deserved to be captured and dragged back into the hell that was their daily existence.  Parker leaned back into the cushions and started calculating how many more days she had left before she was forced to run for her life. 

The latest events deeply concerned Sydney; it emphasized how little time Parker had left before she was hurt further.  The collision course set between the Triumvirate's demands and Raines' ambition had Parker at a crossroads he knew would end in her death or worse.  He quickened his pace and headed straight for Bryan's quarters to see how he was coming along with their secret project. 

The next few days went along quietly.  The pursuit team calmly resumed their duties and the air among the employees at the Centre settled into a depressed and apprehensive mood.  Parker's arm was finally released from its sling and she spent most of the day with her colleagues pouring over clues to the Pretender's whereabouts.  Parker hadn't seen him for a few days and pushed her disappointment in his continued absence from her mind.

By the end of the week the deadline on the sale of two simulations would have come and gone.  Parker had dismissed the sale from her mind disgustedly; let Raines worry over the Triumvirate.  They were playing games and she had grown weary of their threats and deadlines.  However, late on Thursday night as she was finishing her travel report of Wednesday's false sighting in Denver, Colorado she received an unexpected call.   

Absently picking up her phone she was unpleasantly accosted by the silky, smooth voice of Triumvirate member Mountesi.  

"Miss Parker, what has happened?  Center revenues are once again static.  I most sincerely regret to inform you that I am beginning to feel the first pangs of disappointment," he said with naked menace.

"I am sorry to hear that, sir, but you'll have to get in line, when your pet velociraptor returned from his summit meeting he said the same thing." 

"My disappointment is far more formidable, I'm afraid."

"A dislocated shoulder and severe reprimand tells me otherwise.  I have also been informed that the Chairman's internal, operational decisions cannot be overturned by Triumvirate fickleness.  I've told you before, you want to punch my ticket, do it and stop wasting my time.  Don't expect me to continue to dance to your tune when you obviously can't keep the music playing," she said not bothering to keep the note of cynicism out of her voice.

"I have already told you that Mr. Raines will not be an impediment."  

She gave him a derisive chuckle.  "Yeah, said with all the sincerity of a pet owner who swears his pet dog, Cujo, doesn't bite."  

"I see."  

"Really?  I'll believe it when I see Cujo on a short leash with a muzzle.  Before then, Centre revenues will just have to remain flatter than a drill sergeant's bunk."    

"Your father didn't exaggerate when he informed us of your bravura," he said with maleficence.            

She was finally shocked into silence.  The clearness of their telephone connection only emphasized the stillness.  Finally he broke the stalemate. 

"I will advise Mr. Raines that he is interfering with our simulation.  Tomorrow Miss Parker you will return to your prior duties.  Mr. Lyle will take up the banner in the search for Jarod; you have only a few months to achieve a goal that has only gotten more difficult to reach.  It will be up to you to make up for the delay and lost revenue.  It is in your hands to assuage me of these uncomfortable pangs of disappointment."  The telephone connection was swiftly severed. 

Parker sat back in her chair, she had never been so afraid in her life.  She finally had a clue as to what the Triumvirate actually wanted from her and it chilled her to the bone.  With a trembling hand she turned off the recording and ejected the tiny tape.  She replaced it with a fresh tape still clutching the recording of their conversation in her hand.

Gathering up her paperwork and placing the finished report on her secretary's desk, she returned to her office.  She bent over, still feeling the twinges of discomfort from her left shoulder, reaching for the briefcase.  It wasn't in its usual place; it had been pushed towards the rear wall behind her chair.  Without thinking about it, she retrieved the case and shoved a few confidential files inside and closed it with a loud snap.

_Parker Residence_

_Blue Cove, DE_

The drive home was therapeutic, the crisp night air invigorating.  Entering her house, a delicious smell assaulted her nose.  She shifted her briefcase into her left hand and seamlessly removed her 9mm from its holster at the small of her back.  She sat the briefcase on the sofa and cautiously approached the kitchen door.  Using one hand to open the door quietly she held her weapon at the ready.  What she found was her kitchen table romantically set complete with candles.  Jarod was basting a large filet and turned around with the baked masterpiece resting on a platter.  He glanced at her, unconcerned about the weapon pointed at him, and sat the meal on the table. 

"After a long day at the office, a good meal is just the thing to recharge your batteries," he said with a smile.

Lowering the weapon, she gave a short, incredulous huff and took a deep breath.  Passing back into the living room, she removed her holster and sheathed the 9mm in it.  Walking into her bedroom she changed out of her work clothes.

They enjoyed the dinner and together cleared the dishes away.  Jarod was loading the last of the dishes in the dishwasher when Parker returned to the living room to get a drink.  Jarod sneaked up behind her and grabbing both shoulders firmly pulled her into his chest.  Her yelp of pain startled him and he became immediately concerned that he had inadvertently hurt her.  Turning her around to face him, he looked into her face.  She smoothed the pain from her features and gave him a smile.

"It's nothing, my shoulder is a little sore," she said gently looking into his beautifully, dark liquid eyes.  

"What happened?"  His voice was gentle but demanding. 

"Raines wanted to impress upon me his displeasure for my saving his worthless carcass with the Triumvirate.  Willie got the worse of it, tracheotomies appear to be very exhausting."  

"What did he do?  When did this happen?"  His concern was mounting and she smiled indulgently at him touched by the proprietary note that was increasingly creeping into his voice.  

"It happened Monday, Sydney was there and popped my dislocated shoulder back into place.  No harm done, except I got another unpleasant call from the Triumvirate.  They want results regardless of whatever else might be happening around me.  How Daddy stood it all those years is a mystery to me."

He grew still at the mention of her father he never concealed from her the fact that he detested the man.  "What do they want from you now?" 

"Pretty much the same as before, only this time I got a more definite, vague assurance that their vicious pet will be put on a leash.  Unfortunately, Lyle will now be assigned to your pursuit." 

"Perfect," he said with a mischievous smile.  "I'll arrange something special just for him.  Is there anything I can do to help you?"

A happy, if somewhat lascivious smile graced her face.  "As a matter of fact there is, I was wondering if during your numerous pretends you had ever been a masseuse?  I was hoping I could take advantage of those incredible fingers of yours, among other things."                         

Laughing easily he replied with considerable amusement, "I think I am going to enjoy being of some assistance here."            

Early the next morning, Jarod woke and took a quick shower.  Emerging from the bathroom fully dressed he found that she was still sound asleep.  A dark look settled on his handsome features.  He was worried about her and wanted to find out how immediate was the danger to her life.  Knowing he would never get a complete answer out of her and not relishing the prospect of sounding like an over-protective boyfriend he decided a little snooping was in order.

He found her briefcase still sitting on the sofa; her holstered 9mm was resting on top of it.  Opening the locked case took a few seconds and soon he was going through the files she stored there.  So far there was nothing that pointed to her situation, he dropped the files in the still open case and heard a suspicious clinking noise.  Lifting the files, he ran his hand over the folders covering the bottom of the case and found a small bulge in a corner.  He lifted the tiny case, which held a cassette—old fashioned but effective.  He stared at the find and at the open briefcase for a few seconds longer.  He was about to close the case when his eye was caught by the dark brown corner of a folder peeking out from the pocket of the case. 

He lifted the folder out; it was a standard soft-sided Centre portfolio.  Opening it, the cover page had stamped diagonally across the front 'Confidential'.  He read the file through and frowned grimly.  It was as bad as he feared.  The portfolio contained a simulation of how a highly placed corporate official could successfully leave their security-intensive profession and avoid detection despite constant monitoring.  It was a good plan and he wondered why she would take the risk of having imprisoned pretenders come up with it until he noticed a yellow post-it note affixed on the inside front cover of the report.  Sydney had scribbled a note:  'Parker, please read this and give it serious consideration.  We both know that your life may well depend upon it.  I've tried to include all the variables that readily came to mind.  Remember I care about you and I'm here to help in any way I can, it's a promise I gave to your mother.'

A wry smile creased Jarod's lips as he read the note.  'Your pretenders have a good plan, Sydney, but there is one variable they're unaware of:  They don't know about me.'  Jarod thought as his expression changed from humor to angry concentration.  He quietly closed the briefcase and relocked it; he placed the pilfered cassette tape and sim file on the back of the sofa—they would be leaving with him.  

He crept softly into the bedroom and squatted alongside the bed where she was sleeping.  He watched her for a few minutes, staring into her face while confronting his strong emotions for her.  He stood up halfway and cupped her cheek in his hand.  The touch roused her and she looked up sleepily and with trusting love into his face.  Her unguarded, subconscious expressions conquered what she had previously been unable to touch of his heart.  He smiled at her and said in a low voice, "I have to leave for a few days."  He bent over and kissed her lips, smiling he continued, "If you need to get in touch with me, use this."  He placed a small cell phone on her nightstand and kissed her again.  "It's early, get some more rest."  He leaned over and whispered a promise in her ear.  He smiled at her astonishment and quickly left before he was tempted into trying to make her late for work again.

**I apologize for messing up the posting for the 1st two chapters.  I will be extremely diligent in posting this installment.  –Thanks for all the positive feedback//Please give more!!**            


	4. Promote at your own risk - Chapter IV

**_Disclaimer:_**  See Chapter 1 for the usual cautionary statement.  Please give me feedback, to let me know how you liked it.

**Promote at your own risk**

Chapter IV By Callisto 

By the middle of the next week, things around the Centre had settled into a pervasive air of two armed camps.  On Monday, the Triumvirate circulated an official email to Mr. Raines and all senior Tower staff announcing the appointment of Miss Parker to Sub-Chairman.  It was her métier to handle the tedious day-to-day concerns of the Centre; Mr. Raines retained his position and was responsible for all other matters concerning the Centre.  The rage this announcement left him in could only be guessed at since he demanded all his calls to be held and appointments for the day were rescheduled for a later date. 

Parker received the news with all the unabashed cynicism it deserved.  She recognized the spit she had just been tied to and had no illusions that the heat she felt came from any other source than the bonfire designed to cook her—alive.

Lyle too was philosophical about the bifurcation in leadership.  It was obvious to him as well as everyone else that the Triumvirate had already chosen Raines' successor, it was up to Parker to decided when she wanted to assume the role for which Mr. Parker spent the better part of some 30 years grooming her.  Lyle strolled nonchalantly into the sim lab outside Sydney's office convinced that a firm hand and creative mind were all that was needed to resolve the Jarod pursuit and started pestering the old man for information he didn't have.  This gave Sydney ample reason to instantly regret the Triumvirate's decision.

Parker resuscitated the two deals that had been delayed.  The expiration of the agreed upon deadline worked in her favor, both buyers thought she found more lucrative prospects and raised their offering price accordingly.  Still she was at least 200 million dollars off the pace with few new prospects on the horizon to make up for the shortfall.  Mountesi wasn't going to be happy and she didn't plan on hanging around long enough to feel the brunt force of his displeasure. 

Her two pretenders resumed their clandestine walks around the outer grounds of the Centre, Parker wanted to keep this activity under Raines' radar.  She knew that all she had to do was scream foul to get whatever she wanted but that was a card she hesitated to play. 

It was early Wednesday when Lyle, passing by her office, heard sounds he rarely heard coming from his twin.  He paused at her door and listened, she started laughing delightedly again.  The sound of her merriment stirred a powerful feeling of jealousy within him and he barged into her office unannounced. 

She was sitting at her desk but with her back to the door.  Lyle walked quietly up to her desk and stood listening to her end of the conversation.  

"You wish, I'm a strong believer in being fully dressed whenever I'm in public," she said with a laugh.  She paused listening for a while and leaned back in her seat.  "Darling, any time, any where I'll beat your pants off.  You would look very nice with only…."  Even though he was standing only a foot away, he couldn't understand the words she was murmuring so lasciviously.  Her laughter this time was so lustful Lyle was almost on the verge of getting excited himself.  Suddenly she stiffened and said into the cell phone, "Hold on, I have company."

She turned around and faced Lyle with an irritated expression.  "Is there something specific you wanted or do you always hang around trying to eavesdrop on my private phone conversations?" 

"What, everyone isn't invited to join in the happy prospect of you finding some bimboy to play around with?" he asked with a voice heavy in disgusted sarcasm.  Placing both hands on the surface of her desk he added, "Raines is no fool, if he finds out that you have a new boy toy he'll use him against you."  

"So kind of you to show such concern.  Don't worry, big sister will stay out of trouble and out of Raines' hair just long enough for you to usurp the old, shriveled skin bag.  Now close the door on your way out please," she said as saccharinely sweet as she could manage.  He was just at the door when she called out to him.  

"Lyle, go easy on Broots.  He's a useful bundle of nerves and perfectly harmless.  I'm the only one around here allowed to scare the crap out of him, okay?  I'll consider it a personal favor while I'm still in a position to make that mean something." 

Lyle halfway turned and gave her a curt nod before leaving her office.  He didn't like the instinctual, protective feelings his twin was stirring up inside of him; it felt positively healthy and that very notion alone was beyond disgusting.  If she kept up her current behavior he would find himself alone in the world again.  Unfortunately he had just gotten used to having her around and pestering him.        

A new status quo was slowly established at the Centre.  Miss Parker's return as a controlling force in the higher stratosphere of the Centre's hierarchy partially propped up the sagging moral.  Her life began to settle into a pattern.  On the weekends, when she wasn't preoccupied with Jarod, at least one of those days was spent with Ian.  She was still determined to take the child with her in her bid for freedom.  The guards at the satellite facility were quickly becoming complacent with her taking the child from the grounds for a few hours and sometimes for most of the day—just as she planned.

Her Centre routine was much more complex.  She heaved a sigh of relief when she found a couple of sims that would keep her two pretenders busy.  The buyers were anxious for the sims and willing to pay top dollar, unfortunately for her top dollar was a drop in the bucket towards the amount she needed to appease Mountesi.  Foraging for new clients and sims that wouldn't turn her stomach was becoming more difficult because the more mundane aspects of being Sub-chairman were increasingly time consuming.  Her days passed at a hectic pace and though she often thought about her former pursuit colleagues, she couldn't spare even a half hour to visit. 

An unexpected summons came from Raines' office early one morning.  With gritty resolve and making certain that her 9mm was fully loaded and ready she reported as ordered to the Chairman's office, where she found Raines seated behind a massive desk, his face impassive.

"Miss Parker, your presence has been requested for my bi-monthly report to the Triumvirate, take a seat," he said breathlessly.  

Wordlessly she complied and remained silent.  The phone on his desk conveniently began to ring as though someone were spying on the activity in the office.  Raines answered the phone and Parker hid her shocked disbelief at the authentically dutiful and subservient expression that settled in the old torturer's face.  He pushed the speakerphone button and the room was at once filled with the silky, smooth voice of Mountesi.  The meeting droned on for over an hour without any input from Parker and she wondered why her presence had been requested when Mountesi finally inquired if she were there.  

"Yes sir, I am."    

"Very good.  My sources at the Centre, spies if you will, tell me that you have done well to reestablish morale and productivity since your promotion."  

"I'm glad to hear that, sir.  I have been trying to do my part.  May I ask how are you feeling today?" she asked knowing he would understand her meaning. 

A strange, strangled sound came from the speaker.  His voice changed and took on a deeper but higher pitch.  His laughter had none of the smooth, musical tones as before, now it sounded like it was coming from something not of this world, something she hoped would never get its hands on her.  In a word, it was creepy.  A quick, alarmed glance at Raines confirmed her suspicion that the noise was as frightening as it seemed when she caught him staring at her with a pale, apprehensive expression.  It was the first time in their lives they actually shared a sentiment.  

"Ah, the humor has returned, I see.  But let me be rightly understood, despite the tone of our prior conversation, I thoroughly enjoyed your biting wit.  I am feeling much better, Miss Parker I thank you."  He paused and a deathly silence settled on the room, no one moved or made the slightest sound.  "We have received the final tallies for this past month, all my uncomfortable feelings have been assuaged," he said but his voice was hard.

"I hope to keep the trend going, sir," she replied sounding calmer than she was feeling.

"Yes, it would be best for you to do so.  Mr. Raines will continue to let you have a free hand during this trial.  Please do not disappoint me, Miss Parker."  The line was immediately disconnected leaving both chairman and sub-chairwoman disconcerted.

"What the hell was that?" she blurted, still thrown by the demonic laugh that came from Mountesi.

"His version of laughter.  I fully understand what they have planned for you and Mountesi won't stop until he gets it.  Do you realize what this means for you, Miss Parker?" Raines asked giving her a penetrating look and taking a deep drag of oxygen. 

Rising she slipped back into her usual mask of impassivity stating, "You have nothing to worry about, your position is secure and I shouldn't buy any green bananas.  It's been a scream, Raines, but I've got to dash."  She left his office effecting an outward façade of calm and unconcern, inside she was worried but her instincts told her that she still had at the outside another month before time absolutely ran out.

When she entered her office an unforeseen surprise was waiting for her, Sydney decided to visit.  She was indisputably happy to see him; it had been some time since she had the luxury of sitting down and having a comfortable chat with the psychiatrist.  She smiled her welcome and sat across from him at her desk.  

"So what brings you down into the lion's den?" she asked good-humoredly.      

"Madame, chairwoman I was wondering if you could countenance spending your lunch hour with a couple of your old colleagues?" he countered in the same tone.

"Sorry, Syd, I'm lucky to spare even this much time with you as it is, this promotion has left me busier than bad luck at a casino.  I should hang a sign over my door 'promote at your own risk' cause it ain't worth it." 

"You look tired and an hour catching up with old friends is something the doctor just ordered," he said gently expecting her to turn him down flat as she often had in the past.

Looking up pensively she thought, 'I'll either be dead or vanished from the scene in a few weeks time any way.  What can it hurt?'  Giving him a rare, full grin she responded, "Okay, why the hell not?  Being boss has to have at least one perk, just make sure that lunch doesn't last more than 5 hours, you remember what happened to the last person who tried that.  We still haven't found him, either."

"Excellent, I will come by your office around noon to pick you up," Sydney said surprised by her acquiescence.  He left before she could change her mind.  

Smiling at his quick exit, she absently thought, 'I'm really going to miss the old goat when I leave.'  She then returned to the mountain of paperwork and prepared for an exhaustive round of morning meetings with Tower personnel.

Lunch was a subdued affair; Broots was extremely nervous and irritable from having to work with Lyle, Sydney was in the same shape but he was extremely curious to see what Parker would say about the sim he placed in her briefcase.  He analyzed every quip and turn of phrase, but came away unsatisfied.  She picked at her food and seemed intent on ignoring his expectant looks and subtle hints.  While Broots, who offered to pay for the meal was busy signing the credit card receipt, Sydney took the time alone with her to ask what she intended to do.

"Parker, what did you think of the sim?  Are you going to at least consider implementing a part of it?" he inquired anxiously.  

"What are you talking about?  Which sim are you referring to, you haven't handed in anything new, have you?" she asked bemused.  When Sydney interrupted her afternoon Tower meeting by having her secretary deliver a note saying that now was a good time for a break, there was no mention that Bryan had completed the sim she handed him a couple days ago.  If he had it would have been finished in record time.  

"The one I left in your briefcase over a week ago," he replied in frustrated earnestness, her obfuscation was getting on his nerves.

"You left a sim in my briefcase?" she asked in complete confusion.  "I lost something recently that I specifically put in there for safekeeping…"  She started to say, thinking about the tiny cassette recording of her conversation with Mountesi.  She stood beside the Lincoln Towncar they all drove up in and concentrated on the day she noticed the cassette missing.  Then she remembered, it was the day after Jarod had cooked her dinner, she had only a couple hours sleep before he woke her up to give her a new cell phone and an intriguing promise.  

"Sydney, what was this sim in reference to?" she asked, her curiosity now piqued. 

Sydney didn't have a chance to answer her before Broots walked up chattering about some senseless search that Lyle wanted him to conduct.  Their conversation was curtailed and they exchanged a brief glance that finally convinced Sydney that she still hadn't looked at the sim hidden in her briefcase. 

By the time they returned to the Centre, Sydney had become unconditionally taciturn.  He obviously didn't want to talk about the sim in front of Broots.  Once they were inside the main building, Sydney abruptly excused himself and hurriedly stalked back to his office.  

Looking after him, still intrigued, Parker grabbed Broots by the shoulder. "We need to have a little chat, let's go to the arboretum for some privacy.

Broots followed her silently as she led the way.  Once they were inside the thickly verdant gardens, Parker strode over to a large, loudly burbling fountain and looked around to see if anyone were hanging around.  Satisfied that they were indeed alone, after a few seconds of checking around, Parker turned to her tech friend. 

"There is something that I need you to do for me, it's extremely important, but this has to stay strictly between us and no one else."                                              

"Of course, Miss Parker I'll do whatever I can to help you, you know that," Broots replied with an expectant look on his face.

"Well, what I'm about to ask of you is something you're not going to be happy to hear," she said with a deep sigh. 

He furrowed his brow and stared at her with mounting trepidation.  "What is it?"  

"I know how this is going to sound and I've been racking my brain to find a more diplomatic way to put this."  She paused again and stared off in the middle distance deep in thought, frowning at herself she returned her gaze to Broots' face and began, "You're my Achilles heel, Broots.  I can't make a move without having to worry about you and Debbie."  

"Debbie?? What does she have to do with anything?" he asked anxiously.  

"Nothing yet, but the minute I leave I'm almost sure they will use her against me.  I promise you that I'm not being selfish; it's a matter of my survival at this point.  Enough beating around the bush, here it is in a nutshell:  I'm planning on getting out of here—permanently.  The powers that be are going to be royally ticked off when they realize that I have no plans on sticking around for the fireworks.  What that means for both of us is that I need for you to leave also."  Her voice dropped to a soft whisper as she finished her statement.  She watched his face with interest as his varying emotions flittered across. 

As he listened to her explanation, his eyes grew wide with her information and he was shocked speechless with her finale.  "I can't leave!!  Where would I go?  Are you crazy, I can't spend my life on the run with my little girl, that isn't any kind of life for her!"  

Parker shushed him as the volume of his voice got louder.  She kept all emotion out of her face and stared at him steadily.  His reaction wasn't that great of a surprise to her, she was prepared for this.  

"The minute they realize I'm gone, they will use you and Debbie as bait to lure me back.  If we leave at the same time, then nothing should happen to either of you.  It's me they want not you, as long as you follow my instructions, than the both of you will be fine."

"Look Miss Parker, I appreciate the thought, but I won't put my little girl through this, you're just going to have to leave without us," he replied stubbornly.

A deep-seated anger rose inside her, it was all she could do to refrain from venting it at him.  She could understand his reluctance and knew that she would have to spell it out for the over-protective father.  

"Broots, I know for a fact and I'm sure it's dawned on you too; if I stay here, I might as well start pricing headstones.  On the outside, I have maybe six weeks, possibly eight if I'm lucky.  The minute I take off, they will first start looking for me, than they will use anyone I even remotely care about against me.  They are aware of how I feel about Debbie and if anything happened to you…"  She stopped suddenly and gritted her teeth in angry frustration. 

"There is no guarantee that they will come after me and Debbie if you leave," he said faintly not believing it himself.  "Okay, say I leave, what about Sydney?  Is he going to leave along with us?"  

"Sydney's too important for them to kill, besides he won't leave without Angelo.  I don't care what anyone says about Raines and Lyle but one thing they're not are dummies.  It wouldn't escape them that 3 Centre employees and their pet savant all decided to do a runner.  We wouldn't get past the parking lot." 

"I'm sorry, Miss Parker.  I won't leave Sydney behind, I can't."  He replied looking at her determinedly. 

"This is a courtesy notice; I leave, than you sure as hell are going to leave too!  I'm not ready to die and I sure as hell won't leave exposing Debbie to that kind of danger because you're too squeamish to change schools and ID's for her sake.  This isn't a debate, it has already been planned."  She saw the conflicting emotions on his face as he began to see the logic of her arguments.  His non-verbal surrender gave way to the astonishment that she had already planned this out. 

"I have fresh sets of ID packets complete with all the necessities already prepared for both of you.  I'll let you know when to move so I suggest that you start packing while you can, unfortunately you won't be able to take everything—it's got to look like you are still living there at least from the outside."

"Okay, you've convinced me but what am I supposed to do for money and where are we supposed to go?"  

"I just told you I've already thought of that, just get that deer in headlights glare out of your eyes.  Calm down, I don't want Lyle suspecting anything.  Don't make any obvious moves, leave your bank accounts alone and it would probably be better to tell Debbie as little as possible.  We don't want her telling her friends and teachers that you're planning on moving away."

He nodded solemnly as she placed a sympathetic hand on his arm.  "I'm sorry about this Broots, if there was any other way I would take it."  

"I understand, believe me I really do.  I was just telling Sydney a few weeks ago that I was afraid for you.  Rumors are running rampant that the Triumvirate has picked you as Mr. Raines' successor." 

"Humm, typical the rumors are wrong yet again.  That's not what the Triumvirate has in mind for me.  It's far worse believe me," she said quietly.  She gave him an intense stare as she slowly averted her gaze and left him alone among the plants. 

She was making her way to her office when a thought stopped her.  'In for a penny, in for a pound, no time like the present to find out what Sydney meant about a sim he slipped into my briefcase.'  She abruptly changed directions and headed for Sydney's lair.  She found Sydney in his office obviously waiting for her.  He stared at her mutely as she came to a stop in front of his desk and stood above him.  Turning she closed his office door and leaning her back against it, she returned his stare. 

"How did dinner go the other night?" she asked tilting her head to one side.

"It went very well.  There were a few awkward moments, but we went over everything prior to leaving.  It was a unique experience to watch as someone is exposed to fresh ideas and situations.  It was quite the treat," he answered with a brightened visage.  They were speaking of Bryan's first dining experience at a restaurant.

"I'm happy for him.  I hope this experiment of mine works out for the best.  I was anticipating renewed cooperation and eager interest for the next few days.  I was also thinking that I should talk with both of them, things will probably be changing in the coming months." 

"I had anticipated that, it was the reason why I wanted you to look at what I had given you.  I believe a fresh perspective would be helpful."  

"Okay, by now you realize that I haven't seen this item we were talking about earlier.  What was it about?"

"It was a project I gave to Bryan alone.  At the last minute I decided not to inform him as to its eventual application or to involve Norah but I suspect he figured it out anyway," Sydney replied quietly.

"One more time, Sydney, what was it for and what did it entail?" Parker asked with growing exasperation. 

"It obliquely involved your current situation, I felt you needed an objective viewpoint on what would be the best course of action to take due to recent developments," he said not daring to broach the subject more fully knowing his office and their conversation was probably being monitored.

She quickly caught his reference and understood his caution.  Nodding her head she regarded him silently for a few seconds. 

"I'm touched, I didn't realize you would care.  I think you should reexamine the sim a bit more carefully.  You never know when it might come in handy," she replied cryptically.  She smiled faintly before opening the door, "I'll take the time and read it in any case and tell you what I think, Okay?  Later, Freud," she said offhandedly as she left his office.      

       ****


	5. Promote at your own risk - Chapter V

Disclaimer:  _I don't own them, TNT and the rest do.  Please read & review___

**Promote at your own risk**

**Chapter V**

**By Callisto**

Monday signaled the start of yet another weary, nerve-wrecking week.  Fortunately there were no more strange calls from the Triumvirate.  Parker presumed they were monitoring her closely and knew she was on the verge of closing out the latest of two deals.  Both sims were lucrative in their own way but would only help her limp her way past the 300 million dollar mark.  Her latest tally showed she still needed under 200 million dollars to reach her ultimate goal and time was quickly running out.  The fact that the Triumvirate hadn't yelled 'TIME' before now puzzled her; they were not known for their fair gamesmanship.  

Parker was happy that she had the chance to spend another weekend day with Ian but she missed Jarod.  She talked to him often on the cell phone but spent time with him only sporadically.  Retaining the ability to irritate her on the phone despite their developing relationship, he remained steadfastly cagey and evasive about what he was doing and when she would actually see him again.   

It was while she was ruminating on Jarod's latest evasion and trying to figure a way to get him to tell her what he was up to, without sounding like the nosey girlfriend she had morphed into, when Lyle decided to barge in her office and call in his marker.  Broots was still unhappy with Lyle's leadership but was otherwise being mercifully left alone by the sociopath. 

"Good morning Sis, don't you just love beautiful Mondays?" he asked in a fallaciously friendly manner. 

"It's overcast and threatening to rain.  What do you want, Lyle?" she replied brusquely.  

"I have an idea on how to jumpstart the Jarod pursuit but I'm going to need your help to pull it off," he said as he sat down uninvited in the chair opposite.  

Not bothering to conceal her irritation, she glared at him with open hostility waiting for him to continue so she could be rid of him. 

"I want to use a pretender to conduct a sim on Jarod.  We've had a blind man, three blind mice, an assassin and an idiot but no one has been successful yet.  I think it's about time we fight fire with fire," he announced with a condescending smile.   

"That was very self-depreciating to include yourself in the mix and I'm not talking about the assassin bit either.  What exactly is this sim supposed to tell you that will be of any use?  The pretender won't be able to do anything different than what Angelo or Broots have already tried and failed," she asked already becoming bored with his suggestion.

"I'm hoping the pretender will be able to predict his next move, maybe give me some insight on why Jarod has been so remiss in contacting us." 

"Go ahead and try Angelo again but I doubt he'll help you.  I get the impression that he doesn't like you too well." 

"It's not Angelo I'm after.  I want to use Bryan, from what I understand he isn't being used for anything specific.  My little project will fill in the blank hours," he said with a smile that always turned her stomach.  

"Wrong again, Lyle, I'm using him to finish a sim.  You remember _real_ Centre business, don't you?

"Sydney said you're done with him for the moment.  A little change of pace would be good for him.  I won't keep your pet any longer than necessary." 

"Sorry, I have another sim waiting in the wings for Bryan.  It'll have to be one of the others." 

"Alright then give me Norah, from what I hear she's been branching out," he said knowingly.  He had anticipated her resistance in allowing him to use Bryan.  

Giving her twin a hard stare, she said quietly, "Alright, you're free to use Norah for now on your little scheme.  Only be careful what you say to her, we wouldn't want to have another lab rat believing they were born free." 

"Aw, gee thanks Sis.  You're getting more generous in your old age." 

"We're the same age, 30 watt.  It just looks better on me than you," she retorted with steely eyes.   

Once he arrived at sl-17, Lyle stopped abruptly in front of a non-descript door.  Nodding curtly at the sweeper who was responsible for the inmates on this level, the man obediently unlocked the door and stepped aside for Lyle to enter.  The room was bathed in ambient light.  He expected to see the walls bare and the room to have an uninhabited air, but there were personal touches all around.  Tasteful postures of seascapes and aquatic life had been taped to the walls, a filled plastic bookcase was nestled in a corner and a molded, clear plastic chaise was in the opposite corner.  

Norah was sitting upright on her small bed with her back to the wall and a book resting in her lap.  She watched Lyle's reaction to the changes in her living space; it was obvious from his expression that he was unhappy with the attempts to make this dreary space more comfortable.  Recalling her disastrous encounter with Sub-chair Parker, Norah lowered her head, forced the tension from her mind that Lyle's presence caused and opened her perceptions.  Like using unseen antennae she began to feel barely discernible impressions of him.  Despite the initial wave of revulsion that swept over her, she forced herself to be receptive to the input that radiated from him.  At last satisfied, she opened her eyes and raised her head to look at him.  He was good-looking, well proportioned and impeccably dressed; it was just too bad that he had been warped by his parasitic cravings, depraved desires and over-weaning ambition. 

They stared at each other for a full minute without a word being exchanged.  Finally Lyle graced the pretender with an easy smile and said, "My name is Mr. Lyle and I need your help on a project that I'm starting.  It involves the return of a former employee."

"I had been told I was to be working exclusively for Sub-chairwoman Parker," Norah said quietly.

"Parker has reassigned you to me for the time being," he snapped, slightly annoyed.  He wanted to avoid giving her a demonstration of who was in charge in this room.  After Parker's diplomatic-managerial success, he didn't want to appear to be inflexible to new ideas. 

"Very well, what is it that you want me to do?"  The expression on his face clearly showed his propensity for sadism.  

"Better.  I have a file on a former pretender whom we need to return to the fold.  He has been away for a while and is now refusing to return.  Examine the file and make an evaluation on why we haven't heard from him in the past few months and judging from his past activities see if you can anticipate his next move."  Lyle moved to the door and rapped his knuckles against it twice.  The sweeper who responded to his knock handed Lyle a thick portfolio.  He placed the heavy bundle on the edge of her bed.  "If you need anything else pertaining to this project, have the sweeper contact me."  

"Yes, Mr. Lyle, I will do my best."

"Then the rumors are true, you are a very smart young lady," he said with patronizing arrogance as he strode confidently from her room.

Norah remained still and made no movement to pick up the portfolio.  She slowly relaxed her posture and replayed the encounter she just had with Lyle evaluating the input she received from him.

A couple days later as Sydney sat back in his chair after a long day, Parker walked into his office.  Sydney was mildly surprised to see her there.  It had been last week since he had seen her and several weeks before that. 

"Parker, it's good to see you again.  What brings you to my humble corner of the Centre?" he asked with a smile of welcome.  

"It's been months since I've been able to catch up with you.  My schedule is so hectic that I barely have time to breathe.  Do you have a few moments, Syd?" 

"Of course, have a seat.  Would you like something to drink?"

"That would be nice, thanks," she said as she made herself comfortable on his couch.  Leaning back fully she relaxed her whole body and took the offered glass of scotch. 

They sat in silence for several seconds, each enjoying the company of the other.  Sydney hadn't realized how much he would miss having Parker around until she had been swept up into the Triumvirate's intrigues.  He felt that this was her time and waited patiently for her to begin the conversation. 

"You know, I never got the chance to thank you for that item you left me.  It was very thoughtful of you," she said quietly her voice heavy with emotion.

"I worry about you.  These past few months would have been trying on anyone but coming on the heels of certain recent revelations it must have been almost unbearable for you," he studied her profile with some surprise.  Even with the strain she was obviously under, she still looked lovely and almost unaffected. 

"Well, I don't mind admitting I've had a little help from a mutual friend," she said with a conscious smile as she glanced over at Sydney. 

He was perplexed for a few seconds until realization dawned on him.  With another sharp look at her face he nodded and sat back in his chair relaxed mirroring her posture.

"I'm glad, you needed someone to talk to freely who couldn't be turned into a liability.  But Parker please tell me, what has been happening lately?  You can't be oblivious to the charged atmosphere around here; now there's Lyle going around collecting everything we've done in the past few years to capture Jarod.  I understand that you've given him permission to use Norah on this latest venture of his."

"What are you talking about?  I told him he could use Norah in his hare-brained scheme, he didn't tell me anything about giving her any files on our activities," she asked with a frown. 

"He had Broots gather everything we've done in the past five years to capture Jarod, including any contacts that we've had with him," he said with a touch of worry. 

"Don't worry about it Syd.  We've been cleared on everything that we've done to catch Wonder-boy, there's nothing else to find," she said with a dismissive wave.  "Besides, if he finds anything we'll find out about it from Norah before he has a chance to do anything." 

"I hope you're right," he replied with a heavy sigh.  Then recalling his piqued curiosity he asked, "Any update on what the Triumvirate is up to?"  

"I guess there's no harm in telling you now, it's almost over," she said and proceeded to tell him what it was she suspected the Triumvirate wanted from her.

Sydney listened attentively, his kindly interest quickly dissolved into a creeping horror.  He had been afraid for his friend and colleague before but now his fear trebled itself within the few minutes it took for her to explain her suspicions and the reasons for them.       

It was early Thursday night, the skies were clear and the windswept air smelled clean and crisp; it was a perfect night for driving with the top down.  She was feeling good about successfully closing the latest deal with her new client.  They were ecstatic about the sim which solved a long standing problem the CEO thought would elude his R&D division indefinitely.  The revenue was better than she expected.  She refused to dwell on the fact that unless she delved into the murky waters of military applications for her chosen sims, she would never reach the goal set for her.  Time was just about to run out, there were still almost 2 months to go before the specified six month deadline but her inner sense told her the Triumvirate had no intentions of waiting that long. 

She smiled to herself as she thought about picking up Ian and having him spend the night with her.  There would be no difficulty with the guards since they were now used to her showing up unannounced to remove the child for a few hours from the facility.  Once she woke up Ian and had gotten him all buckled and secure in his safety seat, she expertly turned the convertible in the direction of her house.

She was just about to accelerate into the lonely stretch of road ahead when she noticed a large packet resting on the passenger seat.  It had gone unnoticed because her briefcase was laying partially on top of it.  Curious about its contents she opened the envelope after pulling over to the side of the road.  She recognized Jarod's handwriting immediately as she started to read.  His note started out provocatively enough – 'If you want to have an weekend you'll never forget, follow these directions.'  It directed her to a local restaurant, shrugging and darting a quick glance at Ian's sleeping form she decided to take Jarod's bait.  She had some ideas of her own for their weekend.  Grinning happily she shifted the small convertible into first gear, made a quick U-turn and headed for the small downtown area of Blue Cove. 

The restaurant was one of the more popular spots for the exclusive enclave.  The food was excellent here and she was tempted to grab a bite to eat for a few seconds but instead returned to the note.  She had parked next to an innocuous looking, dark blue Honda Accord as instructed.  Inside the bulky envelope, she found a key for the Accord.  Familiar with and occasionally a victim of Jarod's careful planning she committed to going along with his plan; missing him had become increasingly irksome.  Looking around, all was quiet in the parking lot.  The usual crowds she noticed at the eatery were mainly there on the weekends.  She quickly and efficiently transferred all her belongings and Ian from the small Porsche to the larger Accord, however leaving the key to her beloved convertible behind was unacceptable.  Sitting in the Accord, she pried the Porsche's key fob open exposing the battery and with practiced ease, removed the tracking device that was nestled next to the tiny battery.  Leaving her Centre issued cell phone locked in the glove compartment and unfolding the top she securely locked the tracking device inside the Porsche. 

She occupied herself on the long drive by thinking about a cryptic comment Angelo made.  With his monosyllabic assistance and using her 'father's' access codes, they were able to break into the almost impregnable high-level decryption matrix of the Centre's core computer and find other more active access and password code information.  Namely the codes used by the member's of the Triumvirate to access the computer, decrypt classified data and to issue orders.  Angelo advised her that she and Jarod would destroy the babies.  She continued to ponder his statement, however driving in the unfamiliar vehicle for over an hour, her muscles had begun to cramp and fatigue was gnawing at her.  Once she reached the turn off, she was instructed to make another turn which led her down a long rutted road.  It was badly in need of repair and slowed her progress to a mere crawl when eventually she saw a clearing ahead.  Pulling up to a stop in the clearing, she got out to stretch her legs.  The night was even more magnificently serene because of the loud night music of the cicadas and the sharp scent of pine in the air.  Looking around there didn't seem to be a house or soul in sight.   It seemed as though she was the only person around for miles.  'Well the only one awake,' she thought about Ian sleeping contentedly in his car seat when suddenly she was enveloped from behind into an embrace by two strong arms.  A sharp intake of breath, and an unintentional shout showed her surprise.  Before she could start to fight, Jarod's voice was in her ear. 

"What took you so long?  I've been waiting for an hour."  Giving her a light bite on the ear he loosened his grip to allow her to turn and face him. 

"I was almost home by the time I found your little packet.  That was quite an invite, I hope you're feeling frisky enough to live up to it," she replied as she reached up and kissed him ardently.  His hands moved sensuously along her sides and settled on her back as he pulled her fully into his body.   

They continued to hold each other closely as though reluctant to break the connection.  When they finally separated, he said with longing in his voice, "I want to stop missing you."  

She held his gaze for several long seconds, wordlessly echoing his statement.  Squeezing his hand firmly she changed the subject.  "So where are we?  I think I drove at least a mile from the main highway."  

"Somewhere the Centre would never think to look.  You didn't leave your keys in the Porsche as I instructed." His voice held the slightest note of remonstrance. 

"That's my favorite car, I am not going to just leave the keys laying around for anyone to come around and steal it," she stated defensively.  

"I had arranged for someone at the restaurant to drive it back to your house.  That way the tracking device in the key fob would show that you were at home," he replied wearily with obvious patience.

"I removed the tracking device and left it with the car, I wasn't born yesterday you know."

"You weren't this materialistic when we were kids," he grumbled unhappily.  

"I didn't own a Porsche back then either.  So where do we go from here?"  

"There's a house nestled on the other side of those trees.  We can stay there for as long as we like, I helped the owner relocate to Atlanta a week ago."   

She gave a rueful half chuckle at his reference to time and retorted wistfully, "Well at least a long weekend, that will be nice.  I wish I didn't have to go back," she whispered to herself. 

"You don't.  Stay here with me, I have enough supplies to last us for about a week.  All your accounts have been liquidated and untraceably relocated under a new identity I created for you.  I brought clothing and everything you need to make a clean break," he said earnestly.  "This is my escape plan, there is no need for you to return to the Centre…ever." 

Turning she stared at him in disbelief.  "I should have guessed that you would do something like this without saying anything.  I have my own exit plan you know, but I didn't plan on implementing it until next week."  Closing her eyes, she bowed her head and said in a wearily overwhelmed voice, "Oh no, what about my Porsche?  When they find it in the restaurant parking lot, all kinds of flags will start going up.  They will be all over us in a hot minute," she said mordantly as she slumped dejectedly against the side of the car.

"Well, not to beat a dead horse, but I thought of that also.  I knew you wouldn't be able to leave the keys to your convertible behind, so I had a copy of them made and gave them to my contact at the restaurant.  He called me about 30 minutes ago to let me know that he was on the way to your house and that you hadn't left the keys behind.  Give me credit, I know the love of my life better than you think," he replied cheerfully.

Turning she gave him a half smile and the look in her eyes reflected the sentiment and emotion behind his last statement.  The reality of not having to return to the Centre still hadn't hit her fully.  She was thinking about what he had said when she suddenly remembered.

"There's just one problem, _my_ exit plan.  All the preparations were in that backpack.  Plus I've got to get to Broots.  I have a package with his ID's and bank accounts hidden in my house, once he receives it, he'll understand that as his cue to leave.  If I don't show up for work on Monday, they may think of doing something to Broots or Debbie to force my return," she said staring at Jarod who had started unpacking the front passenger seat of the Accord. 

Looking at her over the roof of the car he said, "You said this package is at your house?  Where is it exactly?" 

"It's behind one of the panels at the back of my closet, where I hid the backpack. Actually the backpack is sitting on top of it," she said as the memory of Ian's carefully selected wardrobe drifted into her mind.  

"You never did explain to me what was going on with those clothes you were stuffing in it," he said absently as he pulled his cell phone out of a pocket and began dialing a number.  He put the phone to his ear and waited a few seconds before talking. 

"Morris, yeah it's me.  Are you still near the house?" he paused for a few moments.  "That's perfect, I need another big favor from you.  Look in the closet of the master bedroom near the rear of the house.  There's a bottom panel at the back that comes loose if you push on it.  There should be a package hidden there, take it and deliver it to this address."  Jarod finished giving his friend instructions and ended the call. 

While he was speaking on the phone, Parker walked to his side of the car and opened the rear door.  She unbuckled Ian from his car seat and gently lifted him into her arms without waking him.  When Jarod finally ended the call, he turned around and was startled to see what she was holding so tenderly.  

"Actually, your timing is perfect as usual.  I needed to take this little guy with me when I left for good; his name is Ian," she whispered so she wouldn't easily wake him. 

"Where did he come from?" he asked perplexed.  

"Ian is the baby I helped Brigitte bring into the world.  Daddy had him shipped off to the satellite facility in Dover.  Poor fellow, I woke him up to take home with me, now neither one of us will be returning to our old lives.  It's going to be quite a shock for him when he wakes up." 

Smiling wistfully, Jarod commented, "So the clothing is for him, I was in a hurry when I grabbed your backpack and stuffed some of your things in it.  Well I guess this              development will be changing our plans for spending the weekend in bed."

"He's no trouble.  The good news is that he goes to bed fairly early and with a little warm milk he's dead to the world.  You're not getting out of showing me exactly what you meant by a 'weekend I would never forget'," she said with a happily wicked grin. 

Broots Residence Blue Cove, DE Friday morning 

Broots woke up at his usual time on Friday morning.  He was preparing breakfast for Debbie when the phone rang.  Looking around he saw the cordless handset sitting on the back of the sofa where Debbie left it the night before.  Answering the phone he listened as Mr. Lyle dictated a distressingly long and time consuming list of assignments he expected Broots to complete by the end of the day.  Broots listened dispiritedly as Lyle droned on; turning he noticed a thick clasp envelope sticking out of his mailbox.  When Lyle finally rang off, Broots tugged at the tightly wedged envelope; he had to work a bit to dislodge it. 

Broots turned the large envelope over in his hands but saw no address or post mark.  Hearing Debbie stirring in her room, he sat the package down and finished making her breakfast.  After Debbie had eaten and left for school, Broots sat down on the sofa and opened the tightly sealed envelope with a pair of scissors.  He was shocked at it's contents:  Passports, two driver's licenses in names he never heard before but with his picture affixed to them, two credit cards in each name, two computerized bank receipts reflecting robust balances from two of the country's largest financial institutions and an impressive wad of cash bound with a thick rubber band.  A note was included with the ID.

  'Broots: if you're reading this, it will probably be a long time before I have a chance to see you again.  This envelope contains most of the things you will need to get started on your new life; I think Houston might be a good place for you to start.  Use the cash and one of the ID's to purchase any airline tickets or rental cars, I'll leave it to you to make up a new birth certificate for Debbie.  Be careful, use your head and remember the lessons we learned when hunting for Jarod—don't make any stupid mistakes.  Take care of yourself and Debbie; if you ever believe they have found you, contact me on the enclosed cell phone.  I'm sorry about all of this, Parker.'

When he finished reading, Broots sat still for several minutes.  He was surprised at his own calmness.  He had been toying with the notion of leaving for several years now the only thing stopping him was the fear that he would either be hunted down and possibly killed because of the things he had discovered while on the pursuit for Jarod or that some other retaliatory actions would be done to him that would affect his daughter. 

The soft chiming of the clock on the mantle place spurred him into action reminding him that time was running out.  He snatched up the phone again and once connected started barking orders to his subordinates.  They would conduct the searches and complete the reports Lyle wanted.  His tone brokered no dissent and he marveled at how much like Miss Parker he sounded.  Once finished with pushing his subordinates around, Broots hung up the phone and hurried into his bedroom to start packing.

_The Centre_

_Blue Cove, DE_  

Friday evening 

Sydney had spent an absorbing day conducting cognitive experiments on his voluntary subjects.  He was passing by Broots' department and ducked in quickly to say hello to the overworked tech.  His space was clear and it didn't appear as if Broots had even come in today.  Shaking his head indulgently, Sydney left thinking that after so much prolonged exposure Broots was becoming more like Parker everyday.  She had announced last week that she would be taking Friday off to enjoy a long weekend and by the looks of it, Broots decided at the last minute to mimic her.    

Monday-late morning 

The air around the Centre was charged, more so than usual and Lyle was singularly unhappy about it.  Miss Parker had failed to show up and her sidekick Broots was nowhere to be found.  Lyle stalked down to sl-17 in search of Norah; he had sent word that he wanted to have a meeting with her to discuss her findings on the special project he gave her.  Entering the semi-lit sim room, his foul mood almost preceded him.  

Norah glanced up to look at the unhappy man.  She forced all expression from her face and waited patiently for him to start the conversation.  He was again impeccably dressed, not a hair was out of place, but the angry scowl and the fierceness in his blue eyes was disconcerting to say the least.  

Lyle frowned at Norah.  He took a deep breath in an effort to control his mounting frustration with the way his morning was turning out.  He glanced down at the table; it was empty except for a depressingly thin file.  Unable to contain his urge to vent he pointed down at the file peevishly.  

"What is that?  I was informed that you had finished.  I am expecting a full and complete report," he said nastily. 

"A week was all I needed.  The pursuit team's reports were thorough even if the file on Jarod was not.  There wasn't much for me to say, if you want me to fatten my report with excess verbiage then I will."

"By the size of that report you should be able to reduce the context in a few short sentences.  What were your findings?" he asked with disgusted exasperation.

"Jarod is very unique, he has an overwhelming propensity to help others…."she began.    

"Yes, I am fully aware of Jarod's propensities.  I'm not interested in that, I chose you for this assignment for a specific reason.  Don't start convincing me I made a wrong choice," he interrupted menacingly.    

"I understand, sir.  What I am trying to tell you is there appears to have been an oversight in Jarod's evaluation," Norah said quietly.  When she realized Lyle was waiting for her to continue she said, "As you say, his mostly successful exploits in helping the downtrodden and remedying the wrongs done to them has been extensively and exhaustively analyzed.  What has been overlooked is his relationship with each member of the pursuit team."  

"The pursuit team has been investigated, polygraphed and shadowed.  If there were any indication they had assisted Jarod in any way it would have been uncovered by now.  That is a dead issue, I hope for your sake, you've come up with something new," a cruel calm settled effortlessly over his features. 

Undaunted, Norah continued, "For his former mentor, Sydney, Jarod appeared out of nowhere and assisted in the release of Sydney's kidnapped son, Nicholas.  It is also believed Jarod introduced the young man to Sydney's attention since he had been unaware of Nicholas' existence.  For Mr. Broots, Jarod made sure the courts were made aware of certain troubling indiscretions committed by his former spouse which facilitated in Mr. Broots gaining sole custody of his daughter."  She paused watching Lyle's face.  It was obvious that he was already aware of all these facts.  "The only person he has done nothing for is Miss Parker.  It's true he did play matchmaker with her and Thomas Gates but nothing of any significance was done prior to or after Mr. Gates' murder except Jarod pointed out to Miss Parker that at least one of the culprits was most likely a member of her immediate family.  The break in pattern was obvious, I'm surprised no one has noticed it or taken advantage of its significance before now." 

"What are you talking about?  Miss Parker and Jarod are hardly friends they practically hate each other.  She's been obsessed with capturing him for the past five years, why would he do anything for her?"

"Jarod is quoted to have said on a few occasions that he and Miss Parker had been friends when they were children.  If he truly hated her, their past would mean little or nothing to him and if it did; knowing she hated him, he would do everything possible to hide his true feelings.  That said this is my evaluation:  Jarod is attempting to finish something he started as soon as he found out who the members of his pursuit team were.  Jarod specializes in bringing families together; Sydney has his newly discovered son and Broots has full and sole custody of his child, Debbie.  Both families were rendered necessary assistance in an effort to keep them intact.  Before finding his son, Jarod visited Sydney's twin brother."

"So you're saying that Jarod wants to establish a family for my sister?  She already has a family," he remarked dismissively.  

"He has done everything in his power to alienate Miss Parker from her family.  At every opportunity he reminds her about the circumstances surrounding her mother's death.  When it was discovered you were her twin, Jarod stepped in and revealed several unsavory facts about your past and went so far as to lock the two of you in a container trailer stocked with newspapers that reported your complicity in the missing person's case of two co-eds."

"He did that after I accidentally killed his brother.  If anything your analysis only tells me Jarod can hold a grudge and that's something I experienced first hand." 

"This goes far deeper, he has also done much to shake Miss Parker's trust and faith in her father.  He has reminded her often of the continuous lies her father had foisted upon her throughout the years—the most devastating were the facts surrounding her mother's death," she stated simply.  Seeing Lyle about to interrupt she held up her hand gently and said, "to continue my evaluation:  It's Miss Parker he is interested in, he wants to finish what he has started with the rest of the team and create a family for her.  As for any future actions my best guess would be that he would focus on the child your father had with his last wife as a target." 

"How would Master Parker fit into Jarod's family scenario?" Lyle asked suddenly interested. 

"The child would be the youngest in your family.  He is still unspoiled and has the best potential of bringing out Miss Parker's maternal side."  

Folding his arms against his chest, he stood back and stared at the pretender.  He had a feeling she was right but he was still miffed at her method of presentation.  Without saying a word, he picked up the thin report and left the room.  The minute he was alone, he started dialing on his cell phone to check on Master Parker's status. 

A small smile formed on Norah's lips.  She had no way of thanking Parker for giving her some of the most happiest weeks of her life.  The simple act of walking around outside and enjoying the nearby surf revived her battered spirit.  She hoped in diverting Lyle's attention away from immediately searching for Parker, she had brought the Sub-Chairwoman a few precious hours to put more distance between herself and the Centre psychos.

The Chairman's Office Monday Early-Afternoon 

Over an hour later, around the same time Lyle was rushing into the lobby of the Dover satellite facility, Mr. Raines waited nervously for his guest to arrive.  Monday had dive-bombed into one of the worst days of his Chairmanship.  Mountesi was making a personal appearance and Miss Parker was nowhere to be found.  The African was of medium height and slightly built.  He was resplendent in an understated tailor-made suit.  The cost of the suit alone would probably equal half a year's salary for most of the highly paid Centre employees.  The Triumvirate member walked into Raines' office unannounced and accepted the man's obsequious greetings with apathetic aplomb.      

"Where is Miss Parker?  Why is she not here to greet me?"  The question was asked without emotion but Raines knew Mountesi was unhappy.  

"She has not shown up for work today.  I have sent a team of sweepers to her house but so far they have yet to find her.  Nothing at her home has been disturbed and there are no indications she has packed any of her belongings," wheezed Raines.

"You have not made the error of having her disappear in the same manner as Mr. Craigon?"  The African's smooth, dark brown face creased slightly as he raised an eyebrow.  

"No, sir.  I had nothing to do with Mr. Craigon's disappearance.  The surveillance tapes from Miss Parker's residence are being examined right now."

"This is troubling indeed and to think I came all this way to inform her that she has passed her simulation.  What a shame, but perhaps knowing that she will live another day will enable her to endure the punishment that awaits her for trying to leave.  What has been done to recover her?" 

"We have barely ascertained she has in fact disappeared.  I am hoping the surveillance tapes will give us a clue as to what happened.  Her vehicle is still parked at her house; there have been no taxis or other vehicles seen in the vicinity that picked up a woman of her general description."

"We are both guilty of applying undue pressure on Miss Parker.  Did you inform her of our intent at the conclusion of this latest test?"  Mountesi asked as he settled himself in Raines' desk chair.  

Still standing Raines took a deep breath and said, "No, but I believe she had her suspicions.  She has become very taciturn lately." 

"I don't doubt it, working with you must have been very trying for her knowing you were her mother's executioner." 

Raines remained silent and stared at Mountesi, all expression and emotion was cleared from his face but inside a sick feeling was settling in on him.          


	6. Promote at your own risk - Chapter VI

**_Disclaimer:  _**_See Chapter I for details_

**Promote at your own risk**

**Chapter VI**

**By Callisto**

The feel of the wind on her face was liberating.  She was still having difficulties grasping the enormity of change she was inflicting on her life.  She leaned further into the seat cushion of the convertible Mustang.  Jarod sympathized with her love of convertible cars and rented the Mustang with her in mind.  Unconsciously smiling, she turned to look at the man in her life.  She was determined to hang on to him as long as possible; with him there was no need for secrets or the apprehension that a part of her dark past would come slithering out of the shadowed recesses to haunt her and scare him.  He was fully aware of the worst and loved her regardless.  Her smile turned into a happy grin as the wind whipped at her hair threatening to tear it loose from the combs she used to hold it in place. 

Jarod felt her scrutiny but continued driving.  They were on a tight timetable and pulling over now to satisfy his ever-present lust wasn't an option.  He hadn't gone into any details about what he had discovered when he was surfing through the Centre's mainframe.  The appearance of Mountesi at the Centre was troubling; there could be only one reason and Jarod was determined to keep her to himself.  He had plans for her and a lifetime to see them through.  A peal of childish laughter broke in on his thoughts as Ian reached forward trying to grasp a lock of Parker's hair which had broken loose from a comb.  A question he meant to ask her last night popped into his mind again.  

"He's calling you mommy now, are you going to tell him about his parentage?"

"I have my own ideas about his parentage that have nothing to do with either Daddy's lies or Brigitte's misconceptions," she replied relieved that he had opened the door to this discussion.  

"Well, I suppose he can't be Mr. Parker's son, I was thinking from some of the comments Sydney made that perhaps Lyle was his father," he said hesitantly.  Glancing at her he caught his breath, she was looking gorgeous as she fought to pull her hair into a loose ponytail. 

"He's not Lyle's son either, at least I'm fairly sure he isn't."  She paused and finished wrapping her hair up in a ponytail.  Looking at him she decided that now would be as good a time as any to spring her theory of who Ian's parents were.  "There is only the smallest chance that Brigitte is his mother but I'm just about positive that neither Daddy, Lyle or even Raines are his father."

"Really?  Then who do you think is the most viable candidate for Ian's father?"  She had finally piqued his curiosity.

"Maybe you should pull over for a minute.  You're not going to be too ready to hear this, but then it's just my hare-brained idea and as we both know I'm no genius."

"I took a look at your NuGenesis red file.  As much as you might hate to admit it you are a latent pretender.  Your IQ would give most Mensa snobs a nosebleed," he laughed.

"I'm serious, pull over for a minute, this is important."  She said this with such quiet resolve that he conceded to her request and smoothly pulled to a stop careful not to jar the toddler in the back seat. 

"I think we should talk about this, I should have mentioned it earlier but I didn't know how to bring the subject up."  Pausing she looked at him from behind her black Ray-Ban's.  "I'm no geneticist but I do know that every child inherits one parent's or a combination of both parent's eye color.  Since both Daddy and Lyle have blue eyes then there isn't any chance either could be Ian's father.  In Ian's case it would require that at least one parent have brown eyes, Brigitte had blue eyes also.  Ian's eyes are a beautiful shade of brown that are very similar to someone I know."  She continued to look at him and watched as he became very still.  In a neck-breaking move he turned to look at the child with fresh interest. 

Jarod slowly reached up and removed his sunglasses.  He got out of the car and walked over to the rear passenger side and unbuckled Ian from the child safety seat.  He gently removed the tiny sunglasses Parker insisted on buying him and lifted the child to eye level.  Ian's curious dark hazel eyes stared back into Jarod's darker brown orbs.  Wanting to confirm another notion that occurred to him, Jarod held Ian against his chest and walked a couple feet into the bright afternoon sun.  He positioned Ian so that the light was beaming directly into his eyes.  The child blinked and tried to cover his eyes from the disturbing brightness.  Jarod caught the child's arm and then lifted him again to face him.  Ian's eyes had lightened from hazel to a smoky gray.

"What's wrong, Jarod?" Ian asked insouciantly. 

"Nothing, nothing's wrong but I think I'm your father, at least that's what your mother just told me," he answered smiling into the child's face.  Now he realized that the child looked a great deal like Parker with a few features that could have been inherited from him.  Walking back to the car in a daze, he distractedly replaced Ian and refastened his seatbelt. 

"Momma, Jarod says he's my father!" Ian announced loudly.  

"I know, sweetheart.  I believe he is, would you like a sip of water?  It's kind of warm out here."  She handed him a small plastic sipper cup that clinked from the ice cubes inside. 

Without a word, Jarod returned to his seat and resumed driving.  His mind was reeling at this latest discovery.  "How long have you known?" 

"I've suspected since he was about six months old.  His eyes were a grayish green when he was born and changed to hazel around then.  I put two and two together; I still haven't had the courage to perform a genetic test on our blood because every time I do, I usually get a nasty shock, first Lyle then Daddy.  However, my pesky, interfering inner sense keeps telling me to trust myself, so I'm fairly sure what I believe is the truth.

_The Centre_

_Blue Cove, DE_

**Monday late-afternoon**

Lyle quickly strode into the Centre, his secretary tried to flag him down when she caught a glimpse of him from across the cavernous lobby but he ignored her frantic waving.  Instead of going into his own office to brood on his latest discovery from the Centre's satellite facility outside Dover, he veered off and headed in the direction of Raines' office.  Two burly guards who practically had the words 'Property of the Triumvirate' stamped on their foreheads stopped him.  He reconsidered entering and had backed away a few steps when a Triumvirate lackey unexpectedly opened the office doors.  The African stared arrogantly at him for a few seconds before ducking back into the office and announced Lyle's presence.  Lyle couldn't hear the response but knew a strategic retreat wouldn't be wise.  The lackey opened the door wider and nodded at Lyle to enter.

Lyle was taken aback at the sight of Mountesi lounging unhappily in the chairman's seat.  Raines was practically standing at attention next to the desk.  With a heavy measure of reluctance Lyle entered the office, he nodded at Mountesi and offered the usual greetings.  As soon as Mountesi acknowledged his civilities, Lyle turned to Raines.  

"I've just returned from the Dover Satellite facility, the boy has been removed.  It seems Miss Parker has taken him on an extended excursion," Lyle began as his annoyance returned. 

"When did this happen?  How did she break into the facility?" Raines asked taking a deep breath from his oxygen supply.  The sick feeling that had started earlier was beginning to expand. 

"I spoke with the guards, they say she left with Master Parker Thursday night.  Apparently she lulled security into the habit of seeing her remove the boy only to have her return with him in a few hours.  When I got there, they were still under the illusion that Parker would return with the boy," he said looking from Raines to Mountesi. 

"How long has Miss Parker been removing the child from his quarters?"  Mountesi asked in a mellow tone of voice.  He sounded almost amused by the latest development.  

"She started soon after she was named Acting-Chairman.  First taking short jaunts outside, then she steadily lengthened the time frame.  It wasn't unusual for her to take him home with her for an overnight stay."

"Why is this just coming to your attention now, Mr. Raines?" Mountesi asked with a sinister calm.  His eyes shifted from Lyle to Raines. 

"There is obviously a conspiracy at the satellite facility.  I gave them explicit instructions that the child was not to be removed under any circumstances," Raines replied breathlessly.

"And obviously you did nothing to increase your scrutiny of either Miss Parker or the boy.  Interesting.  Mr. Lyle, since everyone else was lulled into a false sense of security concerning Miss Parker's loyalty, what made you suspicious enough to check on the child?"  Mountesi questioned with a slight lift of his eyebrows.  

"I decided that a fresh approach in the pursuit of Jarod was needed.  I used one of the pretenders to draw up an evaluation of his past actions in an effort to predict what he would do next and why he hasn't been in contact with us."  Lyle stopped inexplicably. 

Mountesi looked at Lyle pensively and said, "What does that have to do with Miss Parker?"  

"The pretender handed in this report earlier today.  She concluded that Jarod would use the child as the first building block in creating a family for Parker," Lyle replied and slipped the bound pages onto the desktop.  

Mountesi picked up the report and began to read while Raines continued the questioning.  "Why would Jarod be interested in building a family for your sister?  She already has a family."  

"Yes, one which is a source of so much pride and has provided her with equal amounts of warmth," Mountesi intoned sarcastically.  

"According to the pretender, Jarod has used the pursuit team as a sort of goal.  He wants to give them a sense of family so they will feel guilty enough to leave him alone to find his own family."

"Have you read this report, Mr. Lyle?"  Mountesi asked offhandedly as he turned to the last page and continued reading.

"No sir, I haven't had the chance.  I had the pretender sum up the findings for me.  As you can see, it's not very long."

"Then I suggest you take a few minutes and read it through.  Perhaps you will learn something," he said as he held the report in his hands not bothering to return it to Lyle.

"It would seem Miss Parker has done something I have often warned her not to do.  I am disappointed.  Mr. Lyle, I want a full-scale search launched for the recovery of Miss Parker.  I insist on none of the bumbling around that was done with Jarod; since your sister is not a pretender, the ends should be considerably easier to achieve."  Mountesi then handed the report to Lyle with a look that chilled the sociopath's heart.

After Lyle's hurried departure, Mountesi stared distractedly into the middle distance.  He seemed a million miles away as he contemplated his thoughts.  Raines was curious about the report and hazard to question Mountesi about it. 

"May I ask, sir, what did the report say that has caused you to be so thoughtful?"

Mountesi heaved a large sigh and nodding regally for Raines to take the seat opposite the desk he answered, "The report states Jarod is probably emotionally attached to Miss Parker.  The pretender sent Lyle on a wild goose chase to look for the boy you created.  If Mr. Lyle had bothered to read it, he would have known that looking for either his sister or the boy would prove to be a waste of time.  The evaluation stipulates Jarod's deep-seated attraction to Miss Parker and goes on to say that should she reciprocate, he would do everything in his power to keep her with him.  We are both aware of how emotionally needy Miss Parker is."  

"It was a sound decision to cause Miss Parker's emotional void, without it we wouldn't have gotten this far.  The second she found an emotional outlet with that carpenter, her focus immediately began to waver and her interest waned dangerously," Raines replied taking a deep breath and glaring accusingly at Mountesi.  

"The man's death was necessary, I agree.  However, Miss Parker's induction into the Triumvirate will never happen now.  It would have been a lucrative feather in both our caps had a red file joined the Triumvirate.  The expansion of our fledgling subsidiaries depended upon it.  Tell me, is she still completely unaware of her abilities?" 

"No, the inner sense she shares with her mother and Mirage is becoming more pronounced.  I am sure within the next year her abilities will be difficult for anyone to ignore.  We never should have waited, the induction process should have been activated once her father was out of the way," Raines said disgustedly.  "Mr. Parker, surprisingly enough, was attached to her and subtly blocked the induction."

"I thought he wanted this to happen.  After all he did start the process after she was assigned to Centre security.  Her corruption was being carefully encouraged and monitored.  With his escape, Jarod's timing couldn't have been worse.  If I were a suspicious man I would say that he knew about our plans for her.  What we have now is another red file on the run with the results shockingly similar to her mother—persistent resistance."    

"A pretender in the Triumvirate would have been my crowning achievement," Raines said regretfully.  "Now the assassination of Executive member, Olambuto will have to be put off.  Using the designer drug to override Miss Parker's moral objections to cold-blooded murder would have finalized her corruption and cleared the way for her induction.  She would have assassinated him without batting an eye.  Now there seems little reason to be rid of him," he said with a sad sigh of regret.  "I would have been most interested in seeing what affects the drug would have on her inner sense abilities."  

"Yes, unfortunately I again am forced to agree."  An unpleasant look settled on Mountesi's face as he considered the other limited avenues available to him to advance further in the Triumvirate hierarchy. 

**Monday early evening**

After a few hours on the road, Jarod pulled into a small diner on the outskirts of a smallish town.  When they were finished with their meal, both adults sat back and relaxed while Ian played quietly with some toys brought in to amuse him.

"Are you going to tell me why you were in such a big rush to leave that nice, cozy house in the woods?" she asked determined to get a straight answer out of him.  

"I found a record in the Centre's flight manifest log that alarmed me; Mountesi decided to make a personal appearance today.  I knew once your absence was noticed by him and they were unable to locate you quickly that a full-scale search would be instituted." 

"Oh God, I got out just in time.  The Triumvirate has never been known for their patience, they're worse than I am.  I just never figured he would put in a personal appearance; it could only mean that I passed their tests," she said quietly as she rubbed at her eyes.

"Do you know exactly what it was they wanted from you?" he asked wondering if she had figured it out.  

"Yes, they wanted to set a precedent by having a red file become a member of the Triumvirate.  As a perk, I was also going to be a temporary plaything to amuse Mountesi," the idea of what her life would have been like made her shudder especially after hearing that demonic and thoroughly corrupt laugh.  

"I surmised they wanted you in the Triumvirate once I listened to your taped conversation with Mountesi.  What I'm wondering is how they thought they were going to convince you to go along with the program?" he asked curious about the Triumvirate's methods.  

"I'm surprised you hadn't figured that one out yet, but then again it takes some considerable warping of the imagination to know how they think," she paused taking a deep drink of lemonade.  "I figured it out in bits and pieces, when Mountesi made that last phone call slipping in the reference to my completing a simulation everything slid into place." 

Jarod remained silent waiting for her to continue.  The explanation, he knew, wasn't going to be simple.  His limited experience with the Triumvirate had taught him that long ago.  

"The first clue was Mountesi's insistence that I have a sim created using their suggestions and list of clients.  I knew anything they would suggest would turn my stomach but they had given me a $500 million goal to reach, so eventually I couldn't remain too fussy.  I chose the one project they knew I would be attracted to; a sim that would have primarily altruistic goals but would still command a handsome payment.    The next and most significant clue came from the evaluating pretender.  For the Triumvirate's drug sim, she pointed out that the process used to synthesize a plant into a drug the client needed could, with only a few alterations, produce a narcotic that would make the user susceptible to any suggestion—regardless of subconscious moral objections.

"I knew both the Centre and the Triumvirate did most things for a reason or to simply send a message.  Well, I got the message.  I'm certain they have a drug in their arsenal that has the same or similar effects.  I was slated to experience it first hand, that's why I had practically stopped eating.  I was never sure if they would start me out slowly on the regimen by introducing the drug to my food or drink.  I thank you again for bringing the groceries; having to go to the store every night for something different to eat was getting entirely old," she said with a hearty grin of remembrance.

"The drug would have rendered you susceptible to suggestion and with a little prodding you would have been at their mercy.  And your father approved of this plan, he recommended you so he could garner more power and influence with the Triumvirate once you were made a partner," he was amazed at the depths the man Miss Parker revered as her father, would sink.  "I wonder why they gave you any clues at all."

"My father would have insured my passive, if not tacit agreement to the Triumvirate's plans.  After all no one can be truly corrupted without some complicity.  I like to believe Daddy had a last minute attack of conscience and removed himself from the plot.  Raines and the Triumvirate felt this latest simulation complete with clues was a good back-up plan."  Her grief over her supposed 'father' still provided her with a sharp stab of mourning.  "I was supposed to become enamored with my newly expanded power and my own ability to successfully wield it.  So much so that I would be eager to embrace the Triumvirate's offer and let the depravity fill the void left by the deaths of everyone close to me."   She fell silent for a few moments.  

Looking up into Jarod's concerned face she said, "I had my _own_ exit plan in place, you know.  I wasn't depending on you to pull me out of the fire.  It seems that Sydney was also concerned for my welfare and had the pretender who was helping me, come up with yet another exit plan.  By the way, what happened to that sim and the recording of my conversation with Mountesi?  You just about admitted to taking them, why did you do it?" she asked with a mixture of forcefulness and gentleness.

Holding his hands up in mock surrender he laughingly replied, "Guilty as charged.  I was worried about you and I knew you wouldn't give me a straight answer.  You like to tough it out alone too much."

"Thank you, there aren't too many people alive or dead who have given a damn about my welfare.  Which reminds me, I want to say good-bye to Sydney, I never got the chance."  She extracted the cell phone Jarod had given her and started to dial Sydney's home phone.  

"Hello, Sydney it's me," Parker said into the phone after Sydney curtly answered.

"Parker!! Is everything alright with you?  Where are you?  Did you know that the Triumvirate has issued a shoot to kill order on you?" he asked in a rush, each question running into the next.  

"I'm not surprised, I've left and from what I can tell, not a moment too soon.  How are Raines and Mountesi getting along?" she asked cynically. 

"Very well, actually.  Everyone has been in such a furor looking for you that no one has bothered giving Broots much thought.  He has gone missing too, I've left numerous messages on his machine but so far there has been no response and no one is answering the door at his house," Sydney said sounding worried.  

"Calm down, Freud.  I sent Broots and Debbie away for their own good.  The last thing I need to see is a milk carton with little Debbie's picture on the back.  How about you, are they leaving you alone?"

"I'm doing fine, hearing your voice is making things better.  Am I correct in supposing you found that little item we talked about a few days ago useful?" he asked.  

"Actually no, I used another method but I strongly suggest you use that item for yourself.  It sounds like a very good plan," she said allowing the concern in her voice show.  

"Don't worry about me, I'll be fine.  I do have one request to make of you:  Would you give me your word to keep in touch?  Your word, not the usual perfunctory civilities," he asked earnestly.  

"You have my word.  Besides, I plan on calling from time to time just to check on you.  Take care, Sydney," she said and disconnected the call suddenly without giving him a chance to respond in kind.  He looked at the handset and smiled affectionately, despite her brittle attitude and stressful, if not often abrasive personality, he couldn't help being extremely fond of her.  

"I'm glad you called him.  He would have been worried sick about you and start bugging me to look after you the minute I called him," Jarod said with a smile. 

She returned his smile and cupping her chin in the heel of her hand she leaned on the table and looked at him as though he were made from the most tantalizing and precious elements known to man.

"Keep looking at me like that and we're going to take a quick detour to that nice motel we passed on the way here," he said turning his smile into an appealingly attractive leer.  

Voicing a satisfied sigh, she remarked, "I really hit pay dirt with you, genius.  Handsome, heterosexual and indefatigable, what more can a girl ask for?"  She grinned and raised her eyebrows suggestively. 

"Let's go," he said getting up to pay their bill in a sudden hurry.

She suppressed her laughter at his honest display of eagerness and started to gather their things to leave.  Ian was getting fussy, a sure sign he was ready for bed.  She had Ian in her arms as she waited for Jarod outside the diner.  

"Where are we supposed to be going?" she asked him. 

"To meet Ethan, we're staying in a converted warehouse.  Don't worry, we've made it very homey, it's only a few blocks from here," he added nonchalantly.    

"Oh, why didn't we have dinner with him?" she inquired, slightly perplexed.  

"I wanted to have you to myself for another couple of hours.  I doubt we'll be alone for the next few days.  Ethan is excited that you're coming to stay and I have a feeling he wants to make dinner for us—he means well, but he's a terrible cook."

"He didn't make dinner, he suspected you would delay bringing me home," she laughed in response. 

"How do you know?" he asked with confusion.  

"I just do.  That's been happening to me a lot more lately.  When I picked up Ian from the Dover research facility, I knew you were waiting for me.  That's why I was almost home when I finally saw your envelope." 

"I'm glad I grabbed that backpack you were stuffing with clothing.  They probably have every sweeper employed by the Centre canvassing all the children's stores within a 200 mile radius." 

When they were all in the car, Jarod quickly turned around the way they came.  Sensing her confusion, he remained quiet as the motel came into view.  She released a slow, sexy laugh as they pulled into the parking lot. 

_The Centre_

_Blue Cove, DE_     

**Monday late evening**

Willie was resting comfortably in the Centre's infirmary.  The entire wing seemed to have fallen asleep; no one was making a sound as silence enveloped the facility.  Willie was unaware of the on-going events that were affecting the Centre, he had few visitors and the few sweepers who used to come by suddenly stopped.  The search for Miss Parker was massive and every able-bodied sweeper had been assigned to it by order of the Triumvirate.

Willie was just about to succumb to sleep when he noticed a shadow on the wall.  Normally there were no shadows on that wall since the spartan room had few furnishings that could cast such a silhouette.  The sweeper continued to stare at the shadow, wondering what it could be.  When it remained on the wall without moving for several minutes, the painkillers intravenously dripping into his arm began to urge him into slumber once again.

He was just at the point of drifting off, when he cracked his eyes open again to reassure himself the shadow was still there—it wasn't.  The heart monitor began beeping slightly faster.  His eyes searched the room in vain; he could barely move his body much less his head.  Keenly alert, Willie strained his ears to catch the slightest movement.  The soft rustle of material was heard no more than a second before Mr. Lyle's handsome face came into view. 

Willie relaxed for a second; he knew that Lyle was as much a servant to Mr. Raines as he.  It was when Lyle's mask like face became blank and a dark light shimmered in his eyes that the heart monitor registered his fear.  Leaning over the stricken sweeper Lyle tilted his head in mild interest. 

"Looks like Sis did quite a number on you, the doctor says it will be months before you're back on your feet again.  Pulverized larynx was the diagnosis."  Lyle paused as his eyes drifted to the hose connected to the tracheotomy tube in Willie's neck.  Slowly taking hold of the tube, Lyle continued talking, "You really shouldn't have attacked my sister.  I don't care what Raines ordered, I thought I had made that clear to you after you shot her in the back:  I am the only one permitted to hurt or kill her.  You made me worry about her, feel emotions I'm not supposed to have.  Now I'm just going to have to avenge her."

With a vicious yank, Lyle disconnected the oxygen hose and covered the opening in Willie's neck with the palm of his hand.  He watched as Willie began to feebly struggle for air; a few minutes later the sweeper was dead.  Lyle kept his palm over the opening for a few minutes longer as insurance then reconnected the hose with his gloved hand, straightened the tousled sheets and quietly left the room.  The small red light on the surveillance camera winked on.         


	7. Promote at your own risk - Epilogue

**Disclaimer:  **_See Chapter 1 for the usual disclaimers and cautionary. _

**Promote at your own risk**

**Epilogue**

**By Callisto**

Ethan was very happy to at last have his sister near him.  Her resemblance and connection to Catherine Parker, their mother, along with their shared gift gave him a greater sense of belonging than he had anticipated.  He finally had the opportunity to get to know his sister and the siblings spent many hours together talking and forging a lasting bond.  Ethan expressed a curiosity about his other half-brother, Miss Parker's twin.  She was forthcoming if not a bit hesitant with her answers as she told her youngest brother about her demented twin.  When her face darkened and the ever-present sadness in her eyes deepened, Ethan decided that he would wait awhile before sharing with her what the voices told him about her twin.  The voices informed Ethan that Lyle too shared their inner sense and explained why he wasn't a threat to any of them.      

Jarod was relieved to have her with him and away from the Centre.  Just as Norah had predicted, he was determined that she should remain with him and he was willing to do whatever was necessary to convince her that their developing relationship was best for them both.  The dreams that had formed in his mind since his escape reasserted themselves in his imagination.  He had seen several happy families, had put a few of them back together again after circumstances had driven them apart.  Seeing so much devastation followed by the hopeful joy on the faces of the reunited families made him more determined than ever to find his own family, but caused another sensation.  He wanted to create a family of his own, however his ties to the Centre, along with the holes his captivity had created in his childhood were difficult to overcome.  He was either a source of incredulous pity or the victim of countless misunderstandings regardless of how explicit his explanations—there were always a few things he felt necessary to conceal.  This had caused unforeseen friction and frustration in his personal relationships.  It was a problem that didn't exist with Parker; he was in love, knew it, faced it and accepted it.  He could easily relate to her because of her intelligence and the fact that he knew her from childhood. Their shared hopes, dreams and struggles confronting the pain from many of the same lies, encouraged his deepening interest, strong attraction and ever-growing lust.    

Parker finally found the love her mother promised.  Jarod was a pretender, no question but in her eyes he was simply the man she loved and she was committed to making their relationship work.  Being removed from the Centre for good, released all the pressure, frustrations, expectations and anxiety that had been building up inside of her.  She knew it had been prudent to keep the fact she was involved in a healthy relationship to herself while she remained at the Centre.  This time she wouldn't be too late in making up her mind to commit only to find the man she decided to make a part of her life, lying in a pool of his own blood on her front porch.  Jarod was a keeper, extraordinarily intelligent, interesting, a considerate, passionate lover, and caring companion.  She had always been attracted to him, but her love for him came from a deep sense of gratitude.  He could have phoned her when Sydney asked him to talk to her or worse yet, he could have ignored Sydney's request dismissing his mentor's worries as nothing more than the long awaited appearance of her comeuppance. 

She surprised herself by wanting him and wanting to be with him.  It was almost a foregone conclusion that they would want children, but her early childhood training insisted that they would have to marry before having any children.  Ian's existence while precious, didn't count since the blood tests Jarod performed confirmed her suspicions; Ian was a product of Raines' tinkering with their genetics.          

Jarod and Parker happily continued their relationship and they became more comfortable with their mutual affection and intimacy.  Both avoided revealing the fact they had fallen deeply in love with each other.  It took Ethan, who was normally patient and indulgent to reach the point of eye rolling disbelief to make them admit to the truth.  A few weeks after Parker and Ian came to live with them, Ethan decided he had seen enough.  He stood quietly in front of them refusing to utter a word, as they looked up at him in growing puzzlement after his hovering presence interrupted their light bantering over Ian's education.  Ethan tossed two small ring boxes in their laps.  

"You two are killing me with suspense, so I decided to cut to the chase for you.  You're in love with each other, get married and give me another nephew or niece," he announced with a wide grin. 

They looked down at the gifts he gave them and opening the boxes they found matching puzzle rings, hers had a diamond affixed in the middle.  Shocked into silence, Jarod looked from Ethan to Parker and shrugging said, "we already made up our minds, the only delay was trying to anticipate what your reaction would be."

Ethan threw back his head and raised his hands in frustrated defeat.  He was beginning to think that living with them was going to cause his hair to turn gray prematurely.  

_Outside Cambridge, MA_

__

They had finally arrived at the house.  Ethan's skills were remarkable and coupled with some input from Parker they were both able to hone in on the location of Jarod's mother.  Jarod had waited for this moment for over 35 years, now he was finally on the brink of meeting his mother. 

As he hesitantly exited the car, he looked nervously back at his new family.  He was consumed with anxiety; he wanted them to accompany him but both his wife and brother steadfastly refused.  This was his moment and no matter how close they had become, they wanted him to embrace and see his mother without any distractions or interruptions.  He tentatively climbed the stairs of the fashionably renovated house and rang the bell.  Smoothing his hands over the cream-colored silk shirt and expensive black slacks that Parker insisted on buying him, he took a deep breath.  A young girl answered the door.  He stood on the stoop and talked with her for a few agonizing seconds before the siblings watching from the car saw him enter the residence.

The reunion with his mother was poignant.  They cried, hugged and stared at each other.  Jarod couldn't recall ever being called 'baby' so much and grinned happily at his mother.  They spent the rest of the day talking non-stop.  The only pause came when their stomachs started growling and they prepared and ate their first meal in decades together.

 The next day Jarod woke up early, he had spent the night at his mother's house.  Grabbing his cell phone, he dialed the hotel where his family were staying, it had been settled between mother and son that his family would reside with her for the duration of their stay.  Parker was still a bit nervous at meeting Margaret, but after the initial awkwardness was broken with the now hackneyed comment, "you look exactly like your mother."  Parker smiled and relaxed.  They stayed a month with his mother while making reunion arrangements with his father, Emily and the boy—now referred to as Jason. 

_The Centre_

_Blue Cove, DE_

Several months after Miss Parker's successful break with the Centre, Raines sat in the Chairman's seat and brooded.  He had given everything to the corporation:  His life, his marriage and all his goals. He had even swapped sperm and blood samples with his brother in the bodily fluids section.  The sample Broots had tested wasn't Mr. Parker's but instead Raines.  It was anticipated that Miss Parker would eventually begin to question her origins and measures had to be taken to keep her off balance while plans for her transition as a fully corrupt Triumvirate member were being completed.  When his brother, Mr. Parker had been in control, the Centre enjoyed unprecedented success as well as failure when Jarod escaped, with Miss Parker the Centre ran like a well-oiled machine.  Raines' tenure was already fraught with dissention, fractiousness and capped off by the escape of Miss Parker.  Willie's mysterious death caused a frustrated anger within him more than he could have anticipated; he didn't particularly care about his favorite sweeper's death but it was yet another example of the inconveniences and unnecessary hardships that were plaguing him.

One example of his continued hardships; was the unexpected and destructive incursion into the labs located at the Dover facility.  Mr. Parker, with Raines' hearty approval had moved Master Parker to Dover soon after the child's birth.  Two weeks ago there had been a break-in to the facility, which resulted in the destruction of all the reproductive, material stored there.  Plans were well underway to create another child when this incident occurred.  Now the Centre no longer had any raw sperm samples from Jarod or the few reproductive eggs obtained from Miss Parker.  The potential 'babies' had all been destroyed as Angelo had hoped.  Samples from the currently held pretenders had to be harvested again.  Raines had no doubt who the culprits were but his efforts to capture them never fully got off the ground.  Curiously, the Triumvirate issued orders to suspend any further searches for the fugitives.  All his calls to the separate members went unanswered and his queries were summarily ignored.     

The Triumvirate took Miss Parker's rejection better than Raines could have hoped.  Her absence left him with the remnants of bitter and sharp disappointment.  Briefly Raines toyed with the idea of using Sydney to lure back the wayward Pretender, Miss Parker and their child but he was rudely recalled to reality when Lyle, who was needed to play an important role in Raines' plot, reminded him that there would be no one else as knowledgeable to run and maintain the Pretender program.  Sydney was the only psychiatrist in the world with the expertise to effectively handle such mental brilliance in a manner that suited the Centre. 

As for himself, Lyle was secretively glad that his twin sister made a successful run for freedom.  Without her at the Centre, it was just a matter of time before the Triumvirate would acknowledge his bloodline, potential and importance.  With some careful maneuvering he would continue to keep everyone in the dark about the emergence of his mother's gift.  Like his half-brother and twin, he too inherited Catherine Parker's inner sense; unfortunately it was as warped as the rest of him.  Raines' early machinations on Lyle's mind and emotional make-up twisted and for the most part buried his gift.  After he met his twin, Lyle slowly began to realize he had the ability to feel her in his mind without needing to be in her presence.  More troubling was the fact that he was certain, with a little concentration; he would be able to locate her. 

Lyle was fully aware of the destructive tendencies that swam just beneath the surface of his own iron control.  He had no intentions of hunting down his twin and dragging her back in shame to the waiting arms of the Centre and Triumvirate.  For his own selfish reasons, he needed and wanted her to stay alive and healthy.  He wanted for himself, whatever the Triumvirate wanted from her; he felt it would only take a little convincing to get them to give him another chance.  Besides, since his twin's appearance and his understanding of her importance to his psyche, the unholy urges that used to plague him and eventually drive him to torture, murder and worse had been kept at bay.  Without her stabilizing presence in his mind he would descend quickly into his hellish urges.  He fully intended on keeping the status quo as it had been established and though Raines had trained and honed him to his current state of readiness, there was no need for anyone to become aware that Lyle had found an unexpected, new form of self-control.      

Sydney continued the modifications to the Pretender project that Parker started.  He had also completed his study of the remaining inmates and with some help from Parker's sweeper Sam; Sydney began contacting the incredulously happy families who had all but given up hope of finding their kidnapped children.   He began making surreptitious arrangements for the return of the more neglected, discarded souls.  Syd had a plan to continue his efforts and free as many of them as possible and with the help of both Bryan and Norah he found a means to cause confusion and inefficiency whenever Raines made plans on kidnapping any more potential subjects. 

For their part, Jarod and Parker became terrorists of a sort.  Their main and only target was the very corporation which had conspired, plotted and been used against them most of their lives.  Using the access and password codes Angelo obtained for them, Jarod, trusting Parker's uncanny inner sense timing, frequently erased important information, deleted emails and obtained important information on the current status of Centre endeavors.  It wasn't too long before the Triumvirate was forced to concede that their most profitable corporation had been irreparably compromised and they could ill-afford to allow it to continue to operate.  

As Parker had predicted to Broots, Sydney was still too important for them to threaten and kill.  Broots on the other hand was enjoying anonymous success in Houston.  He eventually became the chief technical officer at a cutting edge software firm.  His love life improved dramatically also and when he was able to have a package secretively delivered to Sydney, it contained a picture of him and a woman whose face showed a gentle kindness.  Sydney was truly happy for him and added this picture to the ones that were fast cluttering a shelf in his bookcase devoted to his friends and family.  He placed Broots' picture next to one of a happily contented looking Jarod and Parker holding a fuzzy-haired infant between them and leaning on his mother's knee, a precocious looking 4 year old who bore a strong resemblance to Parker and grinned with the same mischievous smile that Jarod frequently sported.   

~Fin~

(I hoped this story entertained everyone who read it!!  Thank you to everyone who read and reviewed )


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